Evangelion Robotech!
by shanejayell
Summary: A very, very odd little fusion! Major Shoujoai content... COMPLETED.
1. One

I own none of the characters from either Neon Genesis Evangelion or the characters from Robotech, they belong to Gainax and Harmony Gold, I think. This is a very odd little fusion story, and can be blamed on too much coffee and too little sleep. Or just temporary insanity...  
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech  
  
"A very successful mission, Lt. Langley," her immediate superior beamed at her from behind his desk, rumpled black hair falling into his eyes.  
  
"Successful? Successful!" Asuka gaped at him in shock, "We were nearly killed!" She shook her head, remembering what had happened out in the dogfight only a few hours ago.  
  
There was a fireball where her enemy was, and Asuka plowed her fighter straight through it while she tried to get a read on the battle all around her and her two wingmen. The skies above the SDF-1 were filled with human and alien mecha, and they were barely holding their own.  
  
On Asuka's console screen a face appeared, red eyes and a crop of blue hair under a flight helmet. "They're about to break through in quadrant five," Rei reported in her deadpan way, "I'm moving to reinforce."  
  
"Ayanami," Asuka yelled out as the girl cut her off, peeling away in her blue marked fighter, "that's where the greatest concentration of the enemy's Angel suits are! It's suicide." There was no answer, she just kept on going.  
  
"Shinji!" Asuka barked as she switched channels, bringing the black haired young man up on her over view screen.  
  
"If Ayanami wants to commit suicide, let her," the black haired pilot shrugged, "it doesn't matter. We're all basically irrelevant, anyway."  
  
"Baka!" she growled. Asuka grit her teeth before ordering, "We're going in after her."  
  
They both pulled off a turn that would have torn a normal fighter apart, and then dove into the firestorm after Rei. The variable fighter Evangelion was the greatest innovation to come out of Gendo Ikari's study of the wrecked alien starship, a fighting vehicle that was generations ahead of anything else humanity had.  
  
Bobbing and weaving they raced through both enemy and human fighters leaving more enemy fireballs in their wake, reaching quadrant five in only moments. Rei had shifted to EVA mode, her vulcan cannon blazing as she cut down the sleek Angel suits the Zentradi used. Shinji and Asuka took up positions beside her as their fighters transformed as well, heavy cannons blazing against the enemy force only a stone throw's away.  
  
There was just a bit of surprise in Rei's normally cool voice as she said to them, "You didn't have to follow me in here."  
  
Asuka cursed softly, "You don't get to die that easy, Ayanami."  
  
"Incoming," Shinji noted nonchalantly.  
  
Asuka saw the additional swarm of fighters coming in and hefted her cannon, "Let's just hope we don't run out of bullets, then."  
  
Back in the office Kagi scratched at his stubble covered chin as he offered her a charming smile, "Well, it seems you didn't run out of bullets, so everything's all right." He sat back in his chair and beamed at Asuka, seeing the throbbing red vein in her forehead.  
  
Asuka looked like she was fighting the urge to hit him. "Look, I'm not a subtle person," she said, "so I'll just tell it to you directly. Ayanami is suicidal crazy, and Ikari is so damn passive he doesn't even care! Reassign me!"  
  
"We can't do that. You're the only one who's survived the Angels of Death for any length of time," he blurted out.  
  
"Angels of Death?" Asuka repeated weakly.  
  
"Well, that's the nickname that Ikari and Ayanami have picked up," Kagi quietly admitted. "You see, no lieutenant has survived commanding them for more than a week. You're the fist one to last as long as you have," he shrugged.  
  
Asuka flopped down in her chair with a weary sigh, "Mein Gott."  
  
Kagi looked a bit embarrassed, "You remember when you punched out that admiral for grabbing your ass? It seems he was feeling vindictive, so he pulled strings to see the two of them assigned to you. He didn't expect you to survive."  
  
"So what do I do now?" Asuka mumbled.  
  
"No other lieutenant is willingly going to take those two on," he explained apologetically. He brightened a bit as he said, "At least you're getting plenty of kills, now. I've heard you already made ace. And who knows, you might even get promoted."  
  
Asuka put her head in her hands and moaned, "I need a beer."  
  
It was a sentiment being echoed on the bridge as the ship's Captain said morosely, "I need a beer." Misato Kisaragi looked over at her second in command, "Could I just go off duty a few minutes to get one? I'm sure it wouldn't do any harm."  
  
"No, you can't," Ritsuko Akagi said to her firmly, pushing back her long blonde hair with a smile, "it would set a bad example for the troops."  
  
"But I want a beer," Misato wined.  
  
"Sempai's right," Maya spoke up from her post beside Ritsuko, "besides, something could happen while you were gone."  
  
Softly Ritsuko said to Maya, "I thought I told you only to call me sempai in the bedroom."  
  
"Sorry," Maya blushed cutely.  
  
Misato sweatdropped, and decided that she just didn't want to know. Her personal screen chimed and Misato answered, "Yes?"  
  
Gendo Ikari's face appeared, looking especially creepy today. His hair was standing straight up, and his eyes had that odd sheen to them again. "The new fighter design is ready," he laughed, "we can begin the test runs soon."  
  
"Thank you," Misato smiled and disconnected. With a sigh she looked over at Ritsuko and said, "Gendo has a new fighter design to test. Do we have any pilots that we can afford to loose if this goes wrong again?"  
  
"Again?" Maya echoed weakly.  
  
"His last design blew up on the launch pad," Ritsuko explained with a sigh.  
  
"Hunter had nearly made it to being transferred back to being a combat pilot as well," Misato mused. She sighed, "It's too bad, he was cute, too."  
  
"He was also much younger than you," Ritsuko added.  
  
"I wasn't going to take him to bed or anything," Misato said defensively, "I was just saying that he was cute."  
  
"With you, cute usually leads to bed," Ritsuko smirked.  
  
Maya shook her head and tried to ignore their arguing. "Whom did you want to assign to Gendo's flight test?" she brought them back on topic.  
  
"Who's assigned to the Angels of Death this month?" Misato asked, using the nickname of Ikari and Ayanami, the two most lethal pilots they had, both to the enemy forces and to their own commanding officers.  
  
"Asuka Langley," Maya read off the data swiftly.  
  
"Let's assign her," Ritsuko agreed, "maybe Gendo will put the poor girl out of her misery."  
  
To be continued...?  
  
Author's Notes: Probably not, honestly. For those who didn't see it, Robotech was in part an Americanized version of the anime Macross, the segment I'm dealing with here. It's a fusion, so I subbed in some 'Eva' elements, like the villains called Angels, and referring to the fighters as Evangelion. I replaced the main characters of Robotech with the Evangelion cast, making some changes to get them to fit. The pilot Gendo blew up was Rick Hunter, the main character of the first segment of Robotech, and whom Asuka is replacing, more or less. 


	2. Two

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Two  
  
For the first time in many generations, the Zentradi knew fear. Two aces, seemingly death personified, flew with the enemy's forces, and none could stand against the two of them The fighter bearing the skull and crossbones emblem, and the fighter edged in icy blue were fearsome alone, and together were nearly unstoppable.  
  
Even the Angels, the greatest aces of the Zentradi forces, seemed unable to stop them. Of the thirteen three had already been slain, casting a spell of fear over the entire army. The only thing that gave them any hope was that a leader had been unable to harness these Angels of Death as a weapon against all enemies. If he or she arose from the enemy ranks, they were likely doomed.  
  
Suddenly, and without warning, Lt. Asuka Langley sneezed loudly. "Excuse me," she wiped at her nose as she looked the bulky fighter over dubiously.  
  
Gendo Ikari's latest creation rested on it's special the launch bay, the armored Evangelion. Nearly twice the size of the previous generation of mobile fighter, it was laden with a new kind of lightweight, advanced protective armor.  
  
"Isn't it magnificent?" Gendo's eyes were oddly wild.  
  
Asuka looked at him dubiously then back at the fighter, "Are the engines powerful enough to carry all the extra weight?"  
  
Gendo looked at the plane a moment, "Hmm, good point." He took her by the arm, and Asuka sighed with relief as they moved away from the first prototype to another one. "The strike Evangelion," he said proudly.  
  
Asuka's eyes widened as she circled the sleek craft. It actually looked lighter that the previous Evangelions, but the cannon it carried was impressive. Instead of standard missile racks, stylized pods of mini- missiles were mounted on the wings. She climbed up to look into the cockpit, and sighed dreamily at the advanced control systems. She frowned suddenly.  
  
Hopping down from the plane Asuka asked him pointedly, "OK, what's wrong with it?"  
  
"What do you mean, what's wrong with it?" Gendo said defensively.  
  
"This is the prototype that got that other pilot, Hunter, killed isn't it," Asuka gestured to the deadly looking fighter plane.  
  
"Well, yes," Gendo admitted glumly. He perked up, "But I'm sure we've worked out that little problem with the missile launchers jamming that destroyed the last prototype."  
  
Asuka looked at him and sweatdropped, "I need a beer."  
  
"Ahh, that hit the spot," Misato sighed happily.  
  
"Captain!" Ritsuko scolded her.  
  
Misato put the can of beer down by her command chair, being very careful not to spill any. "You know if I don't have my beer I get cranky," she defended herself, "and if I'm cranky, I don't make decisions well."  
  
"You are such a lush," Ritsuko sighed.  
  
Maya sweatdropped. A alarm sounded on her board, and Maya quickly worked to bring up the crisis data. "Enemy ships, inbound," she reported.  
  
Fully professional Misato crisply asked, "Class of ships?"  
  
"Just two light cruisers," Maya reported, "but they've brought along two full compliments of fighters with them!"  
  
Over a thousand enemy fighters. Their pilots would be operating at a grave disadvantage, outnumbered nearly three to one. Ritsuko began to give the fighter launch commands even as she asked Maya, "Are there any Angels in the mix?"  
  
"Two," Maya reported grimly.  
  
The Angels were an unusual class of fighter the Zentradi possessed, much faster and more powerful than any of the normal Evangelion fighters. So far, only a few human pilots had survived against them, but thankfully there only seemed to be a very small number of the Angel fighters in the enemy force.  
  
"Make sure Ayanami and Ikari are directed to where the Angels are," Misato ordered grimly. The Angels of Death had survived against the enemy Angels before, they might once again.  
  
"Is Langley still assigned to them?" Ritsuko asked as she passed on another set of orders.  
  
"She's still over with Gendo," Maya reported, "you authorized her transfer a week ago."  
  
"Too bad," Misato frowned as she snuck a slurp of her warm can of beer, "I think we could use her help out there."  
  
The battle raged wildly outside the ship, Ayanami bobbing and weaving as she tried to shake the bandit on her tail. Rei punched the velocity higher, curling up and over, then cut her power as if she had stalled out. The enemy swooped in for the easy kill only to be blown away by her rail gun as she shifted into EVA mode.  
  
Hovering on her boot thrusters Rei tried to access the overall battlefield, and didn't much like what she was seeing. They were badly outnumbered, and while the human pilots were fighting valiantly, they were ultimately losing. The light blue haired girl shifted back to the fighter mode, and tried to reach their newly assigned lieutenant. No answer.  
  
Shinji Ikari's face came on the screen. Pushing dark hair out of his eyes he casually reported, "Looks like the new lieutenant flamed out on us."  
  
Rei felt a bit of pity for the slain young man, and oddly wished that Asuka Langley were still flying along with them. The redhead had been the first commanding officer to keep up with them in ages, and she found that she missed that. Missed it quite alot. A tactical alert came up on her view screen, and Rei cursed softly.  
  
"Two Angels, incoming," Shinji confirmed what she had picked up.  
  
Rei switched back to EVA mode, hefting the heavy main gun. Her red eyes narrowed as she quietly said to Shinji, "I wish Asuka were here."  
  
Asuka took the headphones off, an odd look on her face. She had been trying to get a feel for what was going on outside, but she hadn't expected to hear that. She ran back to the prototypes lab and burst in, yelling, "Dr. Ikari?"  
  
The rather eccentric looking scientist was using a crowbar to peel hunks of armor off of the first Evangelion he had shown her. "Yes?" Dr. Ikari asked mildly.  
  
"Is the Strike ready to go?" He nodded, so Asuka continued, "I want to take it out, test it under actual battle conditions."  
  
"You want to.." Dr. Ikari echoed. Suddenly, really scary large throbbing hearts appeared in his eyes, "No test pilot's ever said they WANTED to take one of my prototypes out before! I always have to order them."  
  
Asuka gave him a wary look, "If you try to hug me, I'll hurt you."  
  
"Right," Dr. Ikari called the tech teams to help get the fighter ready to launch. After giving her a quick rundown on the controls he quietly asked Asuka, "Are you sure you don't want to try this in a simulator, first?"  
  
"No time," Asuka said crisply as she ran through the pre-flight checklist, "my wingmen are in trouble, and I'm going to help them."  
  
"Good luck," Dr. Ikari brought the canopy down and moved away from the plane.  
  
'Let's see what this baby can do,' Asuka thought. She brought the engines on, made sure the launch bay doors were open, and opened up the throttle. Only to be thrust right back into the seat as the plane rocketed out of the ship and right into the firestorm outside.  
  
"Wha-HOO!" Asuka laughed as she swiftly ripped through enemy formations, the new auto-cannon tearing battlepods apart, often with a single shot. She connected with the bridge and crisply asked, "Where are Ayanami and Ikari?"  
  
Maya quickly called up the tactical data, even as Misato and Ritsuko exchanged a surprised glance. "Was that Lieutenant Langley?" Misato asked.  
  
"Sounded like her," Ritsuko agreed.  
  
Rei scowled as the dance went on, her weapon firing at the enemy Angel who managed to stay ahead, barely. Previously, she and Shinji had worked together to slay the Angels, something the enemy had obviously figured out. A screening flight of battlepods kept their allies away, while two Angels fought her and Shinji at the same time.  
  
A near miss rocked her cockpit, and Rei softly muttered, "If we don't get some support soon, we're as good as dead."  
  
A burst of fire blossomed in the battlepod line as a sleek, deadly fighter tore through, leaving them in disarray. Homing in on Rei's EVA it transformed, moving in synch with her fighter. The two humanoid robots bracketed the stunned Angel, then their combined firepower blew it away.  
  
Almost as if they were reading each other's minds they switched to the fighter mode simultaneously, rocketing off to back up Shinji. The Angel realized it's danger and broke off, accelerating away from them at high speed.  
  
"Out of the auto-cannon's range," Asuka muttered, looking rather warily at the new missile launch system. She brought it on-line, lined up the Angel in the cross-hairs, and opened fire. The missiles launched perfectly, but a flight of Battlepods blocked their path, sacrificing themselves to that the Angel could escape.  
  
"Damn," Asuka muttered softly. She activated the communications system to ask them, "Ayanami, Ikari, you two all right?"  
  
"Yeah," Shinji smiled wryly, "thanks to you."  
  
Ayanami was actually smiling a bit, "Good to see you."  
  
"Couldn't let you hog all the glory," Asuka shrugged uncomfortably.  
  
The battle raged on around them, but with the departure of the Angels the spirit of the enemy pilots seemed to have fled as well. Oddly, when Rei, Shinji and Asuka's Evangelions arrived to offer support, the enemy all but turned tail and ran.  
  
Kagi's chin was still covered with stubble as Asuka Langley reported to his office. With her stunning victory the other day, the young redhead could likely request anything she wanted, and have a very good likelihood of getting it. She opened her mouth to speak, and he braced himself.  
  
"I want Ayanami and Shinji assigned to me as my wingmen," Asuka said.  
  
"What?" Kagi blurted.  
  
To be continued... 


	3. Three

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Three  
  
Asuka puffed out a sigh of relief over hearing no major alerts going off as the three of them entered into the city itself. Macross, the city that the SDF-1 had accidentally taken along with them when they made their first attempt at a space fold. Rebuilt within the SDF-1's massive interior cavity the city had been restored near perfectly, the people there living their lives as normally as possible, considering the circumstances.  
  
"I still don't understand why we have to go out drinking with you," Rei said mildly as she and Shinji followed Asuka down a pedestrian crowded street. People noted the military uniforms they wore and treated them with an odd mixture of respect and annoyance.  
  
"Cause I need to trust my wingmen," Asuka said firmly, "and I only trust people who'll go out drinking with me!"  
  
Shinji blinked a few times as he tried to figure that one out, "All right, I guess."  
  
"First we'll head for the Little White Dragon for dinner," Asuka plotted cheerfully, "then we'll go drink sake and embarrass ourselves doing karaoke!"  
  
"Oh, god," Rei muttered softly, following Asuka reluctantly.  
  
"Oh, god.." Misato whimpered, sitting her command chair as if she was in intense pain.  
  
"Hung over again?" Maya asked Ritsuko softly.  
  
"Of course," Ritsuko sighed. She checked to see if anyone on the bridge was looking and reached over to lay her hand over Maya's.  
  
"Oh sempai," Maya sighed happily.  
  
They were lucky that things were so quiet today. The Zentradi forces were following them from orbit as they continued their long search for someplace to off load the civilians, but they hadn't launched an attack for the last day or so. Ever since Asuka Langley and her two wingmen had killed off another Angel, actually.  
  
"I still can't believe that Asuka willingly requested to be assigned back with the Angels of Death," Maya mused softly. She looked thoughtful, "I wonder when the last time she had a full psych evaluation, anyway?"  
  
"I asked Gendo about it," Ritsuko answered her quietly, "Asuka was actually worried about the two of them." She shook her head slightly, "She actually volunteered to go out into battle in one of Gendo's prototypes!"  
  
The two exchanged a long look before Maya sighed, "She's nuts."  
  
"Would you two mind keeping it down?" Misato winced. She rubbed at her temples wearily, "Asuka may be nuts, but she'd the only pilot who's ever kept up with Shinji and Rei. Under the circumstances, we should just leave her be."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Maya nodded firmly.  
  
Rei was looking down at the meal in moderate awe. "I'm impressed," she murmured, looking at the impressive piles of food.  
  
"Hi, Asuka!" a girl's voice gushed.  
  
"Oh, no," Asuka muttered.  
  
A beautiful and clearly Chinese looking young woman appeared from in back dressed in a traditional school girl's uniform in blue and white. She practically leapt over the counter, giving them all a flash of her white panties before hugging Asuka fiercely, "Where have you been!"  
  
"Hi, Minmei," Asuka smiled at her shyly.  
  
Rei and Shinji exchanged a glance, both wondering who this pretty girl was and why she had glommed onto Asuka that way.  
  
Minmei poked Asuka in the side, "Introduce me to your friends."  
  
"Rei, Shinji," Asuka was blushing slightly, "I'd like you to meet Minmei."  
  
"I'm her girlfriend," Minmei informed them with a big smile.  
  
"No you are not," Asuka shot back.  
  
"Yes I am," and Minmei suddenly threw her arms around a startled Asuka's neck and laid a fierce kiss right on her lips.  
  
"Minmei," the older woman who seemed to be running the small restaurant gently scolded her, "leave the poor girl alone for a minute, let her finish her meal." More quietly to Rei and Shinji she confided, "Asuka help save Minmei from a mugging, and when her last boyfriend Hunter died, she developed a bit of a fascination for Asuka."  
  
"Ah," Shinji nodded before scarfing more of his meal down.  
  
Rei gave him a withering look before gazing over at the fiercely blushing Asuka and Minmei. It was very hard to read her expressions normally, but at that moment it almost seemed as if she was jealous of something.  
  
"Oh!" Minmei bounced to her feet and said, "Asuka, I've bee practicing a new song, and I want you to hear it."  
  
"Well, all right," Asuka blinked.  
  
Minmei climbed up on one of the tables, but not before making sure her feet were clean. With a broad smile she mimed having a microphone, "This song is dedicated to Asuka, my hero."  
  
Asuka's face went beet red.  
  
"Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars,  
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars,  
In other words, please be true,  
In other words, I love you..."  
  
Minmei's voice was sweet, filling up the room as she gazed down at the fiercely blushing Asuka with love in her eyes. Standing in the doorway, a faintly blushing Maya leaned on Ritsuko's shoulder as they let the song wash over them.  
  
"That was lovely," Ritsuko finally murmured as the young woman finished her song. Oddly, she bounded down then planted herself firmly in Asuka's lap.  
  
Maya nodded, rendered silent by the song. The two women ordered quickly before sitting at one of the tables together, chairs close so that they could talk easier.  
  
"Ritsuko," Maya said seriously, "are we ever going to be able to be fully open about how we feel for each other?"  
  
"Most of the ship already knows about us," Ritsuko admitted, "but if you mean officially, most probably not."  
  
"I wish there was something we could do, sempai," Maya murmured, using the pet-name her lover so liked to hear.  
  
A slight smile and Ritsuko said, "You know that ship's Captains can perform legally binding marriages, right?"  
  
"Yes?" Maya blinked.  
  
"I bet I could talk Misato into doing one for us," Ritsuko grinned.  
  
"Oh, Sempai!" Maya threw her arms around the older woman.  
  
To be continued... 


	4. Four

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Four  
  
"I'm a twentieth century digital boy," Shinji wailed off tune in the kareoke booth, "I don't know how to live but I've got a lot of toys!"  
  
Asuka was laying back in her seat, her long orange hair spread out around her, a can of beer sitting beside her. Once Shinji finished she smiled cheerfully, "Not bad."  
  
Shinji stumbled a bit, then looked at Asuka curiously. He pushed his black hair out of his face before offering, "You really are drunk, aren't you?"  
  
Asuka smiled up at him blearily from where she was sitting and slurred, "I'm not as think as you drunk I am."  
  
Rei had to sweatdrop at that. "I suppose that it's my turn now?" the blue haired girl asked the others warily.  
  
"Looks like it," Shinji smiling, picking up his own can of beer and drinking cautiously.  
  
"Go for it!" a cheering Asuka waved a hand excitedly, thankfully not the one that was holding her half full can of beer.  
  
Rei peered down at the selection with a feeling of dread, swiftly running through the long list of sweet pop ballads. She finally settled on an late twentieth century song and brought it up, a slight smile appearing on her pale face as she began to sing,  
  
"These mist covered mountains are a home now to me.  
But my home is the lowlands, and always will be,  
Someday you'll return to your valleys and your farms,  
And you'll no longer yearn to be brothers in arms..."  
  
There was a long moment of silence as Rei finished, gently returning the microphone to it's holder. She moved a bit self-consciously back to her seat and as she passed him Shinji reached up to pat her on the shoulder. The two exchanged a short glance, one of two soldiers that were growing weary of the war they were trapped in.  
  
Asuka sniffled softly, a few tears glistening on her cheeks. "That was so sad," she looked up at Rei, "but still, so KAWAII!" She staggered to her feet and threw her arms around the clearly startled Rei, then broke into loud sobs.  
  
"Help," Rei looked wide eyed at Shinji.  
  
Shinji just shrugged, clearly saying that he had no idea what to do, either.  
  
Asuka finally eased off in her crying and disengaged, pulling back just a bit to look up at Rei. "You know," she said muzzily, "you really are a wonderful human being, you know that..." she trailed off then slumped to the ground, out cold.  
  
"Thank god," Rei sweatdropped, trying very hard not to think of how it felt to have her boss' body pressed up against her own.  
  
Shinji looked down at the passed out, and now loudly snoring Asuka and sighed, "Guess we'll have to load her into a taxi and get her back to base."  
  
"Right," Asuka bent down, getting one arm over her shoulders, Shinji getting the other side. "Oof," she gasped, "she's pretty heavy for a lieutenant."  
  
A slight smile from Shinji as they moved out into the hall, "Well, I'm not the one who's going to be telling her that."  
  
It was early the next morning and there was an odd silence on the bridge as Misato looked down suspiciously as her second in command brought her another cup of coffee without her even asking. "All right, what's going on?" she asked crisply.  
  
"Going on?" Ritsuko smiled. The tall blonde pushed her hair back from her face, "What could possibly be going on?"  
  
Misato sat up in her chair, her eyes narrowing. "Ever since we were roomies together," the black haired Captain gave her a look, "you've pulled this 'I'll be especially nice to Misato for awhile' trick before you ask me for something."  
  
Maya paled, looking down at her controls nervously. 'I hope that Sempai knows what she's doing,' she silently fretted.  
  
Ritsuko smiled slightly, "Well, there was something..."  
  
Misato had to smile slightly, "Yes?"  
  
Ritsuko took a steadying breath. "How are you at performing marriages, Captain?" she finally asked with a grin.  
  
Misato's eyes widened, then slid to the now faintly blushing Maya. "You two?" she shook her head, "You sly dog!"  
  
"Is that a no?" Maya had to ask tentatively.  
  
Misato grinned, "That's a firm yes!" She sat back in her command chair, "Do you want me to just do it, or do you want a bit of ceremony first?"  
  
Maya and Ritsuko exchanged a surprised look, obviously not having even considered that. From his station Makoto chuckled to himself softly, getting a glare from both of them. The brown haired young man busied himself with his work, but kept on smiling.  
  
"A ceremony, I think," Ritsuko finally got her brain going again.  
  
Maya rewarded her with a beaming smile, then the younger woman froze as a thought hit her. "What are we going to wear?" she squeaked.  
  
Makoto nearly laughed aloud, quickly covering it with a cough. "Sorry," he smiled, "I must be coming down with something."  
  
"We'll figure it out," Ritsuko had to smile too as she looked up at the Captain, "and let you know when we're ready."  
  
"You do that," Misato smiled.  
  
In another part of the massive ship Asuka groaned to herself softly. It felt like the ship was being hit with giant hammers, or maybe it was all just in her head. Keep in her eyes firmly shut she tried to focus past the pounding headache to listen if any alarms were really going off, and felt relieved that she didn't hear any.  
  
"Thank gott," Asuka muttered softly.  
  
"Are you all right?" the soft voice asked her softly.  
  
Asuka's eyes popped open in surprise, wincing a bit at the dim light. Rei Ayanami lay beside her, her short blue hair messy a bit from sleep. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt that covered all of her naughty bits, mostly, but gave a good hint of the curves underneath.  
  
'What the hell happened last night?' Asuka thought, running through her foggy memories wildly. She remembered eating dinner and fending off Minmei, then the three had headed out together. Renting a kareoke booth, Shinji singing while the buzz of beer made everything tolerable, then Ayanami took her turn...  
  
Then she drew a blank.  
  
"Are you all right?" Rei repeated a bit worriedly.  
  
"Shh," Asuka held up a finger. "I've got such a headache," she muttered, realizing that wherever she was, it was not her quarters. 'I'm in Ayanami's room? Damn it, what happened last night?' she tried not to panic.  
  
With a little smile on her face Rei got up off the bed and softly said, "I'll go get you some aspirin, then." She walked away from Asuka, clearly revealing that the T-shirt did not conceal her panty covered bottom.  
  
Asuka found herself watching that bottom sway for a few moments, then had to shake herself. 'What's up with me this morning?' she wondered. It didn't much help that when Rei brought her the aspirin she bent over, giving Asuka a perfect view of round, nicely shaped breasts.  
  
"You really do look pretty pale," Rei remarked as she passed her a glass of orange juice to wash the pills down with.  
  
After the headache began to die down Asuka tentatively asked, "I didn't do anything... too inappropriate last night, did I?"  
  
"I don't know," Rei answered softly, "how do you define inappropriate?"  
  
"Oh god," Asuka put her hands over her face.  
  
Rei smiled gently, "You got a bit drunk, we sang some kareoke, and you passed out."  
  
"And how did I get here?" Asuka asked softly.  
  
Rei shrugged, "My suite was closest."  
  
With a bit of a blush Asuka asked, "And we.. slept together in here?"  
  
"Don't worry," Rei reassured her, "I was a perfect gentleman."  
  
To be continued... 


	5. Five

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Five  
  
Asuka blinked, realizing that she was still laying on the bed, Rei sort of laying there right beside her. The blue haired girl had a slight smile on her face, and with a feeling of dread she wondered what Rei was thinking about.  
  
"I ran your uniform through the wash," Rei got up, not incidentally giving Asuka a nice view of her breasts again, "I'll go see if they're dry yet." Her little T-shirt rose up a bit as she walked away, giving Asuka another nice view of white cotton panties.  
  
"What's coming over me?" Asuka muttered to herself softly.  
  
Rei Ayanami closed the bedroom door behind her with a sigh, leaning up against the door for a moment. A bit of a flush was on her normally pale cheeks, a little smile on her face. When she and Shinji had made the decision to drop Asuka off at her apartment, she hadn't really thought too much about it. Asuka was so badly drunk, getting to the orange haired lieutenant own quarters was simply out of the question.  
  
Rei sent Shinji on home, then got Asuka over to her bedroom. Stripping the uniform off of a limply drunk body was difficult, so much so that at first she hadn't really been paying much attention to what was being revealed. But while pulling the undershirt off, the bouncing of Asuka's breasts had suddenly riveted her attention.  
  
The lacy white bra held those two orbs fully contained, and for a moment Rei thought it might be wiser to just leave it on. 'It wouldn't be too comfortable to sleep in,' Rei had to admit. She reached around Asuka's body, searching for the clasp of the bra and not incidentally pressing their two bodies close together.  
  
"Mmm," Asuka's soft voice said as she stirred slightly, and Rei froze. A warm breath brushing her ear, "You smell good."  
  
"Asuka?" Rei murmured softly, her heart beating faster with fear as Rei sat there frozen, but Asuka didn't stir once again. After a moment of fumbling with the clasp Rei undid the bra, pulling the lacy number off a bit clumsily only to stop, blushing. Round, healthy orbs, surprisingly stiff nipples thrusting up into the air.  
  
Blushing furiously Rei had pulled her eyes away from them, but the image was still burned into her mind's eye. She had pulled Asuka's boots off earlier, and with now shaking hands undid the snaps for her uniform pants. They easily slid down Asuka's long, smooth legs and off, fluttering to the floor. As Rei looked up from her work she saw the delicate panties that matched the now discarded bra and blushed even harder.  
  
'The panties had best stay on,' Rei thought, still blushing faintly as she covered Asuka with a sheet. 'Guess it's my turn,' she mused..  
  
Undressing Rei found herself oddly aware of the sensations of her own body, feeling the fabrics of her uniform sliding against her shin. Jacket, shirt hit the floor, then she paused. Blushing she unclipped her own white, frilly bra and set it with her clothes. Her pants slid down, then she peeled her socks off before taking a half step towards the bed.  
  
'I can't do it,' Rei stopped, then she turned around, quickly pulling a oversized T-shirt from her dresser drawer. She slid it on over her nudity, noting that it at least preserved her modesty, mostly. The bed was surprisingly warm as Rei slid into the bed beside Asuka, while still carefully maintaining some distance between them.  
  
Rei smiled to herself slightly, pushing off from the door and going down the hall to where the small laundry was working away. She had slept remarkably soundly last night, only awakening at one point to find herself curled up with Asuka holding her close. A few terror filled seconds later the still soundly Asuka let her go, leaving Rei feeling both relieved and a bit disappointed.  
  
"I don't know what's going on," Rei murmured to herself softly as she pulled the clothes out of the dryer and into a basket, "But I think I like it."  
  
Out in Macross city itself a young man winced in the artificial sunlight. "That's the last time I go out drinking with Asuka," Shinji Ikari muttered to himself softly, shielding his eyes.  
  
"Shinji!" a happy voice cried, and he groaned softly. Dr. Gendo Ikari came around the corner at a trot, looking typically manic as the scraggly haired man gave his son an intense gaze, "Why haven't you been down to try my newest prototypes?"  
  
Shinji gave him a look, having long ago developed an immunity to his father's attempts to guilt trip him. "Because they blow up far too often," he answered dryly.  
  
"A statistical blip," Gendo waved his hand casually, "I just had a run of bad luck."  
  
'Five planes is a run of bad luck?' Shinji thought, sweatdropping. "I'll try to make it down to your lab soon," he offered, silently adding, 'like next year, maybe.'  
  
"Then I'll make sure to have my new Super-Evangelion ready for you to test," Gendo said dramatically, his glasses glinting oddly in the sun. With that he was gone, running down the street with his while labcoat fluttering behind him like some kind of cape.  
  
"He's really freaking me out," Shinji sighed softly.  
  
There was a loud gurgle, and Shinji looked down at his loudly protesting belly in surprise. 'Guess I haven't eaten yet.' Looking about he spotted a familiar looking restaurant and headed inside the Little White Dragon.  
  
"Welcome," the older woman he had met last night beamed. She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, "You're one of Asuka's friends, aren't you?"  
  
"Ah, yes," Shinji smiled, his short brown hair falling into his eyes.  
  
"Minmei," the woman cried, "we have a customer!"  
  
"Oh, hello," the black haired Chinese smiled once she saw him. She picked up a menu and walked him over to a corner table, waving him to a seat. She handed him the menu and bowed, her school girl's uniform rustling, "We're currently serving breakfast dishes, and would you like me to go get you a cup off coffee?"  
  
"Yes, please," Shinji smiled, watching with a certain amount of admiration as she trotted away. 'She sure is cute,' he noted.  
  
Going into the back room Minmei turned, clearly noticing him watching her. Shinji blushed brightly, expecting her to raise some kind of fuss, but instead she just gave him a sunny smile before the door closed behind her.  
  
'I though that she and Asuka..' Shinji blinked in surprise. Still, Asuka hadn't seemed too thrilled by the girl's attentions yesterday, so maybe they really weren't a couple. 'Mot that she'd be interested in me,' he thought glumly.  
  
"Here you are," Minmei poured him the large cup of coffee, and Shinji breathed deep in the strong scent happily. Minmei gave him a gently sympathetic look before saying, "Asuka took you out for drinks and kareoke, right?"  
  
Shinji looked at her in surprise, "How did you know that?"  
  
Minmei smiled at him suddenly, "Because I went out with her once and tried to keep up with her drinking." The delicate Chinese girl shuddered, "Never again. I like her, but they are limits"  
  
'Like,' Shinji noted, 'she didn't say love.' Before Minmei left he mustered his most charming smile, "Would you like to sit with me?"  
  
Minmei hesitated, looking him up and down thoughtfully. Finally she smiled slightly, "Well, all right." She fixed him with a look, "Just don't get any funny ideas."  
  
"Perish the thought," Shinji smiled.  
  
On the bridge of the SDF-1 things were smoothly organized chaos, as ever. Misato was quietly sleeping off a hangover over in the command chair, Ritsuko and Maya had a wedding catalog spread out over their consoles, and poor Makoto was sweatdropping slightly.  
  
"I'm glad things have been quiet lately," he muttered to himself softly.  
  
"What was that?" Ritsuko fixed the young man with a look.  
  
"Nothing, nothing," Makoto waved his hands frantically.  
  
"Good," Ritsuko turned back to Maya and smiled gently, "So what color of dress did you want, darling?"  
  
"White for both of us, Sempai," Maya beamed up at her.  
  
"I thought you had to be a virgin to wear white," Ritsuko's smile turned wicked, "and I know when I was done with you, you were no virgin."  
  
"Sempai!" Maya blushed furiously, covering the older woman's mouth with a hand.  
  
"That was too much information," Misato grumbled from her seat before pulling her cap back down over her eyes.  
  
To be continued.. 


	6. Six

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Six  
  
Lieutenant Asuka Langley opened up with her main gun, fireballing several battlepods as the red trimmed fighter dove right through the enemy ranks. The battlefield that the skies had become was almost filled with the bobbing and weaving enemy mecha along with the Evangelion fighters of the Earth's defending forces.  
  
An explosion that was just a bit too near Asuka's plane for comfort startled her, then the communication systems came on. Sergeant Rei Ayanami's face looked out of the view screen calmly as she maneuvered her fighter expertly, but a bit of red was on her cheeks. "Watch yourself," she said simply, "we don't want to lose you."  
  
"Thanks," Asuka shot her a grin, her own cheeks reddening.  
  
Shinji's face appeared on the screen, a slight frown on the dark haired Sergeant's face. "So where are the Angel suits?" he asked grimly, "All we seem to be running into are the battlepods."  
  
"Strange," Rei frowned slightly.  
  
"I don't like it," Asuka had to agree. She switched communication frequencies over to the command band, contacting the bridge.  
  
"Yes?" Ritsuko crisply replied.  
  
"Can you give me an overview of the situation?" Asuka asked, keeping an eye on the battle around her as she talked.  
  
"Heaviest concentration of battlepods are in your area," Ritsuko consulted her control panel, "and there's only a light attack in the north east sector."  
  
Asuka's eyes narrowed in thought, "Any fighters engaging them?"  
  
"Just our automated defenses," Maya called out from her station.  
  
Asuka suddenly began to curse in both English and German, then falling back on Japanese when she ran out of other words. "Baka! This is just a distraction," she loudly cursed, "they're trying something elsewhere!"  
  
Listening in on the conversation Misato called up the overall situation on a computer console set by her command chair, finally nodding grimly. She looked up at Ritsuko, "Are there any forces we can quickly move there?"  
  
"We'll go," Asuka's voice came through loud and clear. "Whatever they're up to, they won't succeed. You have my word," she vowed.  
  
"Go," Misato ordered.  
  
With those simple words Asuka broke away from the fighting, Shinji and Rei following close behind her. Sudden bursts of tracer fire arched up into the sky as the ship's automated defenses worked to blast the battlepods out of the air, tactical systems working to get solid target locks. Identification systems in the Evangelions diverted most of the firepower away from their path, but they still had to keep their eyes open.  
  
The three fighters in red, blue and with the skull and crossbones reached the north east sector in a few moments, the ship's scarred, battered hull moving quickly right below them. "Shit," Shinji cursed softly when they saw what awaited them.  
  
There were five Angels, five of the fast, heavily armed humanoid fighting machines that the enemy used so sparingly. Accompanied by a dozens of battlepods they advanced towards the relatively undefended part of the ships' hull.  
  
"Are we in trouble?" Rei's calm voice asked.  
  
Asuka kept her fighter pointed right at the flight of Angels, accelerating towards them. With a flip of a switch she brought her missile pods up and running, then prepared her main cannon for use. "Like hell," she growled out, and opened fire.  
  
"There's a battle cry," Shinji smiled, following her in guns blazing.  
  
"You don't get to die today, Asuka," Rei's eyes seemed to be lit with a new passion, one they hadn't seen in there before, "I won't let you."  
  
"Then let's take these bastards out," Asuka smiled.  
  
The three fighter planes devastated the battlepods' formation in their first attack run, but the Angels were waiting, ready for them. They threw out bursts of firepower that were almost the equal of the Evangelions', and only the swift reflexes of the pilots saved them all from a fiery death. The five Angels tried their best to break through the guards of the three pilots, but somehow Asuka, Rei and Shinji were always there to cover each other's back.  
  
BOOM!  
  
The Angel exploded in a cloud of fire, bits of debris raining down on the sea far below them. "Scratch one," Rei reported calmly, maneuvering away from where she and Shinji had managed to catch it in a crossfire.  
  
"Scratch two," Asuka's voice had a feral excitement in it, having managed to defeat an Angel all on her own. A delayed charge on a missile distracting it, then Asuka getting below then opening up on it with her Evangelion's cannons.  
  
Shinji smiled grimly as the three Evangelions shifted to their EVA mode, "It looks like we're on even odds."  
  
All the mechas hovered there for a few moments, three Evangelions and Angels gazing at each other across such a short distance. A short burst of static on their three pilot's communication's screens, and an unfamiliar face appeared there. Short green hair fell into her intense eyes, eyes that studied all three of them.  
  
"Who the..." Asuka blinked.  
  
"I'm impressed, Micronians," the green haired woman finally said, "but such valor will not save you. We will reclaim Zor's vessel, and the Protoculture within it."  
  
"Zor?" Rei looked at her oddly, "Protoculture?"  
  
"We happen to like the ship right where it is," Asuka said crisply, "and whatever Protoculture is, I wouldn't hand it over to you."  
  
"You're their leader, aren't you?" The green haired woman looked at her intently, then smiled. "I am Mirya, and I look forward to killing you," she said.  
  
Before any of the Evangelion could react the Angels were gone, racing away at incredible speeds. "Should we pursue?" Shinji asked.  
  
Asuka hesitated before smiling slightly, turning back towards the ship. "No. We've done them enough damage for one day, I think."  
  
Ritsuko frowned as the three planes descended to the flight deck, one leaving a trail of smoke behind it. 'I thought they made it through the battle with the Angels all right,' she thought. 'we can't afford to loose them, they're the only ones who've beaten an Angel.'  
  
With remarkable skill the damaged plane came down smoothly, the others rolling to a stop beside it. The canopy of the damaged fighter popped open, and remarkably fluent swearing came out as it's pilot climbed out, holding a bloody shoulder.  
  
'Asuka,' Ritsuko noted before moving forward to help the girl down. "Are you all right, Lieutenant-Commander?"  
  
"Got clipped by out own damn guns, ma'am," Asuka growled out. She seemed to blink in surprise, "What did you say?"  
  
"You've been promoted, Langley," Ritsuko smiled slightly. She was just a bit surprised when Shinji and Rei quickly moved in to take Asuka's weight, Rei looking at her wing-leader worriedly. "All of you have, actually," she looked at the two wingmen, "lieutenants."  
  
"Thank you, ma'am," Shinji threw an awkward salute, helping support Asuka.  
  
"Thank you," Rei didn't even salute, her focus on her injured friend, and on the bloodstain spreading on her shoulder.  
  
"Get her to the medics," Ritsuko stepped back, and the two all but carried Asuka off. 'Interesting,' she mused as she watched them go, 'very interesting.'  
  
To be continued... 


	7. Seven

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Seven  
  
Asuka looked out of the window of her hospital room at the artificial sky, feeling her whole body aching. She didn't particularly like being shot, not in any way, shape or form. There was a soft sound of tapping coming from over by the door, and Asuka looked over to see her two wingmen standing there in the doorway. Rei looked oddly worried, compared to her normal cool manner, while Shinji seemed more nervous.  
  
"Come to see the baka who got shot down by our own weapons?" Asuka asked, pushing herself up into a sitting position.  
  
"You're no idiot," Rei said softly but intensely as she swiftly moved over to help her up, "you should know that by now."  
  
"She's right," Shinji agreed, taking a bouquet of flowers from behind his back and then putting them into a nearby vase. He flushed slightly at Asuka's curious gaze, "The flowers are from Minmei and the staff of the Little White Dragon."  
  
"Ah," Asuka nodded slightly. "The docs say I'll only be in here a few more days, thankfully," she said, shifting to make her injured shoulder a bit more comfortable. She fixed them with a look, "You two keeping out of trouble?"  
  
"Of course," Rei said mildly.  
  
"Sure," Shinji agreed innocently.  
  
Asuka looked at the two of them warily, then she sighed to herself softy.  
  
Rei opened up the curtains a bit more to let in the artificial sunlight, then she looked over at Asuka. Curiously she asked about a bit of gossip she heard, "Did one of the bridge crew really come down here to apologize?"  
  
"Maya, yeah," Asuka made a face.  
  
The dark haired young woman had been very nearly been in tears when Maya had come inside the room. The bridge officer had quietly explained to Asuka how the weapons systems under her command had been the ones responsible for Asuka's plane being shot, and how very sorry Maya was about it happening...  
  
"It took me nearly ten minutes to convince her it wasn't her fault just to get her the hell out of my room so I could get some sleep," Asuka complained.  
  
Shinji hid a slight smile. He had seen the gentle smile on Maya's face later on that day, and after striking up a conversation the young lady had spoken to him admirably about Asuka, how she had comforted her and made her understand that it hadn't been anyone's fault. 'The boss ain't quite as nasty as she would want people to think,' he mused.  
  
"And what are you smiling at?" Asuka asked him with a scowl.  
  
"Nothing, nothing," Shinji shrugged.  
  
"Huh," Asuka gave him a suspicious look, then looked away. "Has there been any more angel appearances?" she finally asked.  
  
"Nothing," Rei shook her head firmly, "there's been a few skirmishes with battlepods, but the Angel suits have been conspicuously absent."  
  
"I don't like it," Shinji admitted, "I think that they're up to something."  
  
"Wouldn't be that surprised," Asuka calmly noted. She fixed her two wingmen with a fierce look, "If you two end up having to go out there, be careful. I know the kind of trouble that you two can get into on your own."  
  
"We'll be careful," Rei agreed with a impish smile.  
  
Shinji checked the flowers one more time then walked to the door, "I gotta go, boss." He smiled wryly, "I have a date with Minmei."  
  
"Good luck," Asuka gave him a grin, "you're gonna need it." Shinji chuckled as he headed out, but she noticed that Rei was lingering.  
  
The blue haired young woman looked oddly uncomfortable standing by her bedside. Rei took a deep breath, "Asuka, I..."  
  
Up on the bridge there was an odd sound in the background, a low buzzing noise. Slumped down in the command chair Misato snored softly, her black captain's hat pulled down over her eyes, her uniform badly rumpled by the posture.  
  
Makoto watched her a few moments, his brown hair falling into his eyes. "Should we try to wake her up?" he finally asked the others.  
  
"I wouldn't be too worried about it," Ritsuko said calmly, "she's always awake when we need her." Dropping her voice she looked over at Maya to ask, "Are you feeling any better now that you've gone to see Asuka?"  
  
"Yes, sempai," Maya blushed sweetly. She pushed her messy hair up out of her eyes, "She was very nice, actually."  
  
"She had better be," Ritsuko muttered under her breath. The blonde puffed out a soft breath, "But I was pleasantly surprised to see how she works with her wingmen."  
  
"How so?" Makoto asked curiously from his position.  
  
"We all know how odd Rei has been, since her accidental exposure to raw robo-technology in Gendo's lab," Ritsuko said to them quietly, "but she almost seemed human again, the way she fussed over Asuka when she was first hurt."  
  
"I noticed Shinji's been a bit more.. normal, too," Maya nodded thoughtfully. Shinji had been raised by distant relatives when his mother died, only being reunited with his father by his being in Macross city when the spacefold happened.  
  
"Gee, I wonder if Asuka could help change Gendo, too," Makoto said thoughtfully.  
  
Ritsuko and Maya exchanged a long look. "Well, she's not a miracle worker," Ritsuko chuckled to herself softly, looking away with a blush.  
  
"She's not all that bad, though," Misato surprised them all by speaking up. She didn't change her posture at all from where she slouched in the captain's chair, "Tactical report?"  
  
"Enemy ships are still pacing us, maintaining standard distance. No battlepod squadrons breaking off, no cruiser movements," Maya reported.  
  
"Just like the last few days," Ritsuko noted.  
  
"Yeah," Misato agreed, one dark eye shining as she looked out the window at blue sky. Softly she whispered, "What the hell are they up to?"  
  
Out beyond the reach of the SDF-1's weapons the enemy fleet trailed behind them, maintaining quiet order. Within the massive lead ship their was an odd feeling of mustiness, of disrepair. Everything ran, but only just barely.  
  
"Commander," Mirya stood there at attention, the green haired woman almost rigid, "I request permission to attack!"  
  
The shadowy figure looked out at the vessel, "Your plan?"  
  
"A tactical squad will attack the outside of the ship," Mirya explained crisply, "while I and one other will attempt to break through their defenses. We will explore the interior, and try to discover the location of the Protoculture."  
  
"Zor's great work," the commander looked out at the great ship they followed. He frowned, "I still do not understand why they have not used it's full power against us."  
  
"I don't know," Mirya admitted. She looked thoughtful, "It could be that they do not fully understand the power sealed away within it."  
  
"Or it could be that their technicians are idiots," the shadowy figure mused.  
  
On board the SDF-1 Gendo Ikari sneezed suddenly.  
  
To be continued... 


	8. 8

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Eight  
  
"Damn it," Rei scowled as the massive ship's hull blossomed in flames. Before she could get her Evangelion fighter around the three Angels had disappeared into the ship itself.  
  
"We've got to go in after them," Shinji's voice was intense, "they could break through all the way to the city!"  
  
Ritsuko's face appeared on their communications screens. "It appears there are no other Angels with the attacking force," the blonde commander said crisply, "we can handle things out here. Use all means necessary to stop them, the ship might depend on it."  
  
"Got it," Rei swept the plane around in a tight circle, Shinji right behind her as they dove into the gap. The hole was easily large enough for the fighters, with more holes visible ahead of them as the Angels forced their way forward.  
  
"Do you have a plan?" Shinji asked as he saw her shift her fighter to it's humanoid mode, the EVA. He pulled down the matching lever on his own controls, skimming along on boot thrusters as they rushed forward together.  
  
"Find them and stop them," Rei answered him simply, "hopefully without doing too much damage to the ship in the process."  
  
"Gee, great plan," Shinji muttered, his short brown hair falling into his eyes, "it's times like this I wish Asuka was here."  
  
Thoom!  
  
Asuka was spilled out of her hospital bed, crying out in pain. "Damn it," she growled, "what the hell is happening out there?" With some awkwardness she pulled herself to her feet, staggering over to the window.  
  
The city outside looked deceptively calm, mostly because the people had been evacuated to the shelters at the first signs of attack. 'Too bad this hospital is fortified,' Asuka mused, 'or else I might have been evacuated too.'  
  
"Hope those two are doing all right," Asuka sighed, pushing her mane of orange hair back from her face as she stumbled over to her bed.  
  
The EVA's skimmed down the long passageway, only to jerk backwards as weapons fire zinged by them. "They left one behind to slow us down," Rei noted, peeking around the corner carefully at the figure blocking the hallway.  
  
"How is it placed?" Shinji asked, "I might be able to nail it."  
  
"It's partially shielded by debris," Rei ducked back to avoid another burst of the Angel's weapons. "There isn't a clear shot."  
  
"We've got to get by it," Shinji said softly, his expression clearly frustrated, "they could be in the city itself by now."  
  
"Fine," Rei's voice had an odd calmness to it, the short blue hair falling down into those odd looking scarlet eyes, all a gift of her exposure to raw Robotechnology. "I've got a plan," she said, "get ready to fire when I give the cue."  
  
"Right," Shinji nodded.  
  
Rei used her EVA to step right out into the hallway, deliberately exposing herself to the enemy's fire. The Angel took the shot, exposing itself as it fired on her. As the first bullets were hammering into the breastplate she growled, "GO!"  
  
Shinji used Rei's EVA for cover as he opened fire, blasting the Angel dead center with explosive shells. It flamed out even as Rei fell backwards, he barely catching her. "Rei," he yelled over the communicator, "are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine," Rei gave him a grin, "the EVA's breastplate is designed to take a few hits." She shrugged, "I'll just have to make sure I don't get hit there later."  
  
"You're insane," Shinji blinked as they began to move down the hallway.  
  
"No," Rei shook her head, "I'm just willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done." The ground shook under them and her face went grim, "Sounds like they've broken through the inner armor and reached the city."  
  
With a burst of speed they both rocketed forward, emerging through the inner layer of the ship's armor, and out into the city of Macross itself. The artificial blue sky around them shone as the buildings stretched out below them.  
  
"Where are they?" Shinji growled.  
  
"There!" Rei cried, swooping down after the two Angel mechs.  
  
Asuka heard a rumble, walking forward to her window to see what might be causing it. "Holy shit," she muttered as the two Angels skimmed right by her third story window, the backwash from their thrusters shattering the window and sending glass flying. Ducking behind her bed Asuka avoided the hail of glass, but barely.  
  
"If the Angels are here," Asuka murmured, feeling a sudden surge of despair race through her, "we're in a lot of trouble."  
  
A glint of light caught her eye, and Asuka looked up only to break into a sudden grin. The twin EVAs dropped down from the sun to follow the Angels in, shining in the artificial sunlight even though one was damaged. The skull and crossbones and blue edged EVAs swept by her wrecked window, and Asuka felt like cheering.  
  
"Kick their asses, you two!" Asuka yelled, waving her arm with a grin.  
  
Mirya scowled, her Angel skimming along the ground. Whatever she had been expecting to find in the ship's interior, this wasn't it. 'This is so wasteful,' she thought, scanning her surroundings, 'where are the weapons factories? The protoculture?' Instead, buildings and other structures filled the interior, an artificial sky above them.  
  
"Ma'am," her fellow Angel's image appeared in front of her, "the EVAs have broken through our guard. One seems to have been damaged in the process, though."  
  
Mirya brought her rear scanners up, the image of both EVAs appearing before her. Indeed, one of the EVAs was smoking from the breastplate, moving a bit hesitantly. "This gives us an opportunity," Mirya said firmly.  
  
"We can defeat them now, while they're weakened," the other pilot agreed thoughtfully, her hands tightening a bit on her controls.  
  
"Then you take the damaged one, Alina," Mirya smiled a feral smile, a dangerous eagerness in her eyes, "the blue one is mine."  
  
Rei smiled to herself grimly as the Angels slowed to a stop, turning around to face them. She slowed her EVA as they neared each other, watching the two powerful humanoid mechs. "Shinji," she said, "this is going to be one on one, so watch yourself."  
  
Ritsuko's voice came over the communication's system, "We'll open up an access path to the exterior, try to force the Angels out of the ship."  
  
"Got it," Shinji replied. "It looks like you were right about what they were going to do," he quietly said to Rei. He paused, "How did you know?"  
  
"Just thought about what I'd do," Rei answered as an Angel raced a her. "See you later," and with that she cut communications.  
  
Shinji didn't have much time to process that remark as the other angel went right for him. There was something almost familiar about the way that it moved, the painted markings that were etched on the armor. Even as it opened fire he went up and over the streams of energy, ducking down behind a building for cover.  
  
"Mirya," Shinji remembered the name.  
  
Boot jets flaring he came around the corner, Shinji's weapon blazing as he tossed bursts of bullets at it. The Angel anticipated the attack, weaving aside, and Shinji felt himself grinning. This was going to be one hell of a fight. Using the buildings for cover they fought back and forth, neither one able to gain an advantage.  
  
Mirya felt her frustration rising as they fought through the deserted streets of Macross city. 'I am the greatest ace of the fleet,' she thought furiously, 'the best of the Angel corps, and I cannot defeat him? It's impossible!'  
  
She scanned around her wildly, trying to see where her enemy was hiding. Mirya nearly jumped as the other blue EVA came around a corner, standing there calmly. Instead of firing it began to walk towards her position, cannon at the side.  
  
'He's mad,' Mirya mused even as she stepped out from the concealment to walk towards him. She activated her communicator, just sending her voice, "At short range, we'll likely both die."  
  
Shinji smiled slightly, "Maybe so." He kept his EVA walking as the enemy Angel moved towards him, thinking, 'If only my Dad could see me now.'  
  
There was a flare of light and an explosion off to the side. 'I wonder which fell, Alina or her opponent?' Mirya thought, her green hair falling into her eyes as she kept walking. Part of her so wanted to open fire, but she would face this challenge.  
  
'She's good,' Shinji thought. They grew closer and closer, and he could feel the urge to fire, to end this contest of nerve. Another step, and...  
  
.. the communicator crackled to life, Rei's voice determined, "I'm inbound, ten seconds."  
  
Mirya saw the other fighter coming, then she gave a weighing glance to the other pilot. "Not today, it seems," and she activated her thrusters, moving at top speed towards the now wide open access hatch to the outside world.  
  
"Intercept her," Shinji yelled as he rocketed after her, shifting to the fighter mode.  
  
"Bad angle," Rei answered tersely, trying to catch up with the Angel, firing her afterburners. The Angel slipped out the hatch, disappearing off into the blue sky.  
  
"Guess we'll have to see who's better next time," Shinji sighed out softly, feeling oddly disappointed, somehow.  
  
"I saw that little gunfight you were pulling," Rei's dry voice said, "and you call me crazy."  
  
To be continued... 


	9. 9

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Nine  
  
"So how are the wedding plans going?" Makoto asked from his usual station, monitoring the communications traffic to and from the fortress.  
  
"Progressing," Maya beamed. "I'm going to be wearing the suit, we think," she confided softly, "and Ritsuko will be in the dress."  
  
"Nice," Makoto smiled slightly.  
  
Maya looked back over her shoulder at the snoozing Misato, slouched down in her seat and snoring softly. "Do you think she'll do that through the entire shift?" she asked.  
  
"Count your blessings," Makoto chided her, "we're lucky the enemy is still licking their wounds over the last battle." He paused, "And it's certainly quieter up here when she's asleep."  
  
"I heard that," Misato said before seemingly falling back asleep.  
  
Both her junior officers looked towards her nervously, sweatdropping. "I just wish I could be down there with Sempai," Maya finally sighed.  
  
Makoto's mouth twitched with a smile, thinking of how Ritsuko blushed when Maya called her that. "She is head of fighter command," he noted, "the duty falls to her."  
  
"I know," Maya admitted.  
  
Ritsuko Akagi sneezed suddenly, nearly blowing the papers off the office desk. "Are you all right?" Rei Ayanami asked mildly.  
  
"I'm fine," Ritsuko shook her head, "don't know what came over me." She pushed her blonde hair back, tidying it once again.  
  
"You wanted to see us, ma'am?" Shinji Ikari asked, the black haired young man standing stiffly at attention.  
  
"Yes, I did," Ritsuko said.  
  
The commander paused, looking the two of them over. Once they had been two of the worst problem cases in the entire crew, two pilots so dangerous that no one wanted to be assigned to them. Thought to be a little mad, they had really earned the nickname of the Angels of Death. But now they seemed to have changed, pilots now putting their all in the defense of ship and crew rather than due to some self-destructive impulses. She wasn't certain why they changed, but she had a theory.  
  
"What you did a few days ago," Ritsuko consulted her papers, "was reckless, foolhardy and very nearly got one of you killed."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Rei said simply, the blue haired woman looking straight ahead.  
  
"It was so reckless and foolhardy that we've been forced to give you both a commendation," Ritsuko rather enjoyed seeing the surprise on their faces as she continued on, "and I have another piece of good news for you."  
  
Having heard her cue the connecting door slid open and a redheaded figure strode in the office. "Hi, guys," Asuka grinned, dressed in her uniform once again, "miss me?"  
  
"Asuka," Shinji pulled her into a hug, "why didn't you tell us you were getting out of the hospital when we visited you yesterday?"  
  
As soon as Shinji released her Rei stepped forward, silently pulling Asuka into another hug. "It's good to have you back," she finally said softly.  
  
"I'll leave you to your reunion," Ritsuko said as she collected her paperwork. "You've got today off, but we'll need you back flying patrols tomorrow," she said.  
  
"Thanks," Asuka nodded with a grin. They followed Ritsuko out as she said, "That was a hell of a fight you two pulled off, I'm proud of you."  
  
"Arigato," Rei thanked her softly, slipping unconsciously back into her native Japanese as her cheeks flamed red.  
  
"Thanks," Shinji shrugged, a bit of a blush to his cheeks. With a frown he repeated, "Why didn't you tell us you were getting out of the hospital?"  
  
"Because I didn't know for sure yet," Asuka explained patiently. "I still had to undergo another physical, and if I failed I'd still be in there."  
  
"Well I'm glad you're back," Rei said softly.  
  
"Me, too," Shinji agreed. He looked over at Rei as he added, "We could really use you out there, too. She's not the best for planning."  
  
"It worked, didn't it?" Rei said mildly.  
  
Shinji groaned softly.  
  
Asuka shook her head with a wry grin, "Yeah, you two..." She tilted her head back with a relieved sigh, "So you mind if we go into town for dinner? I want to get the taste of all that godawful hospital food out of my mouth."  
  
"Little White Dragon?" Rei suggested, knowing her leader's likes.  
  
"You read my mind," Asuka agreed, throwing her arms over her wingmen's shoulders, not noticing the fierce blush that colored Rei's cheeks. "Tonight we party, for tomorrow we go back out on our patrols!" she declared.  
  
Less than an hour later the three were walking the streets of the city of Macross, taking in the crowds and the artificial skies far above them. It could almost have been any city in the world, except for the damage that remained from the battle against the two Angels only days ago.  
  
"Asuka?" Rei said quietly.  
  
"Yeah?" Asuka looked over at her curiously. She sometimes found herself wondering what her wingman might look in casual clothes, but firmly pushed the thought aside.  
  
"How did you end up joining the defense force?" Rei asked her curiously. She smiled a bit sadly, "You know Shinji got pushed in by his father, and I had my... little accident in Gendo's lab. Everybody knows about us."  
  
Asuka tilted her head back, thinking a moment. "I was caught up in the first spacefold, along with the city itself. I didn't want to be involved with the military, it just sort of happened. I tested out on the simulators then got into the defense force."  
  
Shinji looked over at her, "And how did you get stuck with us, anyway?"  
  
"Because I punched out a grabby admiral," Asuka shrugged, "I guess he figured that I wouldn't survive." An evil smile, "Proved him wrong."  
  
They walked together a few moments before Rei quietly said, "I suppose I should thank him, then." She smiled at Asuka, "I'm glad to have you."  
  
"Me, too," Shinji seconded with a smile.  
  
Asuka felt her cheeks flaming. "Thanks, guys," she said, feeling a bit of relief that they'd reached the restaurant at last. She lead the way in, taking a deep breath of the lovely scents.  
  
"Asuka," the manager beamed, the older woman clearly glad to see her. "Minmei, you're friends are here," she called into the back.  
  
Minmei came out of the back, her eyes lighting up when she saw them. She hit Asuka with a flying hug, nearly knocking her over, "I'm so glad you're all right!"  
  
"I'm pretty tough, you know that," Asuka reminded her.  
  
Minmei smirked slightly, looking over at Shinji. "Hello, Shin-chan," she softly drawled, "it's good to see you again."  
  
Shinji felt his cheeks flush, "Hi, Minmei."  
  
"I'll go get you your favorites," Minmei took off to the kitchen with a cheery wave, "find a seat and I'll be right back!"  
  
"Shin-chan?" Rei murmured, looked over at Shinji curiously.  
  
"I... uh... stopped in here once or twice on my own," Shinji admitted.  
  
"It's all right," Asuka reassured him as the three claimed a table, "just try to keep in mind that Minmei's more focused on her music and acting, all right? To her a boyfriend is more of an accessory than anything else."  
  
"Yeah," Shinji agreed, "but she sure is cute."  
  
Asuka sighed softly.  
  
To be continued... 


	10. 10

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Ten  
  
"I'm impressed," Asuka said as she circled around the lab.  
  
The Evangelion that she was looking at was a sleek black shape resting in it's testing cradle. The wings were swept back a bit more than standard, the entire form slimmer than the fighters Asuka was used to. Some weapons power had to be sacrificed for the upgrades in speed and maneuverability, but it was still a deadly little craft.  
  
"The Stealth Evangelion," Gendo's eyes shone with his excitement as he loudly declared, "it's my greatest creation!" He waved his arms wildly as he explained, "It's completely invisible to all known forms of scanner!"  
  
"Not bad at all," Asuka mused, then she froze suddenly.  
  
"What?" Gendo asked worriedly, knowing that she had spotted a problem. 'just like with my Armored Evangelion,' he thought glumly.  
  
"It's invisible to our sensors, too?" Asuka asked him. As soon as she saw his nod she groaned, "That means the SDF-1's weapons systems won't be able to tell if it's a friend or foe." At his blank look she continued, "We could be shot down by our own guns."  
  
Gendo blinked at her a moment, digesting that piece of news. "Back to the drawing board," he finally sighed, pushing his glasses up tiredly. He looked around his lad, white coat swirling around him. His voice was quiet as he asked, "How's Shinji doing?"  
  
"Good," Asuka answered. She looked up at the older man in surprise and asked, "Haven't you seen him lately?"  
  
"We've never been terribly comfortable around each other," Gendo finally admitted. "I'm glad he has you and Ayanami as friends," he said softly.  
  
Asuka wasn't quite sure if she should say this, but..., "It's not just us. Shinji's even got a girlfriend, now."  
  
"What?!" Gendo ran over and grabbed her by the shoulders, grinning down at her happily, "Thank god! I know my dear, departed wife Yui will be glad to know that Shinji's developing into a healthy, normal boy!"  
  
"If you don't let me go I'm going to have to hurt you," Asuka warned him.  
  
"Right," Gendo was instantly back to being the cool looking scientist. "Thank you for the information," he waved as he moved off to go back to work.  
  
'You know, I think he's actually getting crazier,' Asuka shook her head as she slipped out of the Evangelion development lab and headed down the hall.  
  
"Asuka," a unfamiliar female voice called out. Asuka turned to see a dark haired young woman jogging up the hall towards her, recognizing her after a moment as Maya. "Sorry," Maya puffed, "thanks for waiting."  
  
"That's all right," Asuka replied. "What can I do for you?" she asked. Maya blushed cutely, and Asuka had an odd mental flash of Rei blushing that way.  
  
"I wanted to thank you once again for forgiving me so easily when I shot you down," Maya said softly, the two walking towards the elevator.  
  
"Nothing to forgive," Asuka said to her firmly, "I know it wasn't your fault."  
  
"So how are you settling back into being on duty?" Maya asked curiously.  
  
"Things have been pretty quiet," Asuka noted. "We haven't seen an Angel for more than a week," she said with a soft sigh.  
  
"You're worried?" Maya blinked.  
  
"I don't trust the enemy to continue to just quietly follow us," Asuka said with a shrug, "they're up to something, I'm sure of it."  
  
They stepped into the lift and Maya looked at Asuka, "What level do you want?" She entered the code for her then put the one for the bridge in. "Asuka," she asked hesitantly, "have you ever been in love before?"  
  
Asuka was struck with the crystal clear image of those almost red eyes looking out at her caringly from Rei Ayanami's face. "No, I haven't," she answered Maya, wondering why it almost felt like a lie saying that.  
  
Maya nodded slightly. "There's someone I care for," she said, "whom I love, and we're planing to do something to symbolize it."  
  
"Lucky man," Asuka said, wondering why Maya was telling her this. Except for a few meetings before she was shot they barely knew each other.  
  
"It's a woman, actually," Maya flashed a smile. She tilted her head to look up at the ceiling, "But the closer we get, the more nervous I become...."  
  
"And she's probably feeling the exact same thing," Asuka said thoughtfully, "the girl you love, I mean. If I was getting... married, or something like that, I'd be scared out of my wits. It's only natural, I suppose."  
  
"Really?" Maya looked at her in surprise.  
  
"It's a big step you're taking," Asuka shrugged. They reached her level and stepped out into the hallway, "Talk to her about it, you'll both feel better."  
  
Maya nodded. "Thank you," she called out as the elevator doors closed.  
  
"Asuka Langley, marriage councilor," she muttered to herself, shaking her head. Asuka strode down the hall towards the ready room, moving through the press of pilots until she reached where her wingmates were waiting.  
  
"Hey boss," Shinji gave her a grin. The brown haired young man held his flight helmet in his hands, the casual manner hiding a dangerous pilot.  
  
"Asuka," Rei flashed one of her gentle smiles, the sort that she seemed to reserve for Asuka herself. She tilted her head to the side and asked, "So how was your visit with our good Doctor Ikari?"  
  
"Not very helpful," Asuka said dryly. "I like his idea for a Stealth Evangelion," she admitted as she sat down beside the other two, "but not if it gets me shot down by our own guns." She paused for effect before adding, "Again."  
  
"That's my dad," Shinji shook his head with a sigh. He sat back and said, "I've never been sure if his exposure to robotechnology did that, or if he was odd to begin with." He looked over at Rei, "No offense meant."  
  
"None taken," Rei reassured him. She looked over at Asuka and asked, "Do you think the enemy will attack soon?"  
  
Asuka opened her mouth to answer when... a warning alarm cut across the room. "Pilots to your aircraft," Ritsuko's clear voice ordered, "enemy forces are on the move."  
  
"Let's go," Asuka jumped to her feet, leading the charge into the hanger. The three rushed to board their planes, Asuka patching herself into the bridge. "Any Angel sightings?" Asuka asked as she strapped herself into her seat.  
  
"No Angels sighted yet," Ritsuko said crisply, "but I'll pass on any sightings to your wing soonest. For now move to support any sectors under heavy attack."  
  
"There's No Angels at all?" Shinji echoed the information, sounding oddly disappointed about it, somehow.  
  
"Hoping to run into your friend Miriya again?" Rei suggested archly.  
  
"No I was not," Shinji shot back.  
  
"Less chatter," Asuka said, trying to sound stern despite her slight smile, "more action, please. Let's get into the air before something else happens."  
  
"Right," Shinji nodded sheepishly.  
  
"Hai," Rei agreed.  
  
A few moments later Asuka's red trimmed Evangelion fighter rocketed out of the launch bay into the blue sky. On one side of her Shinji's blue trimmed Evangelion soared smoothly, on the other Rei in her infamous Skull One.  
  
"Let's go kick some," Asuka commanded as they dove towards the first flight of battlepods. Still, in the back of her mind she wondered, 'Where are the Angels?'  
  
To be continued... 


	11. 11

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Eleven  
  
The massive chamber stood in the center of the great ship, a technological marvel among many in the grand ship. The side of it opened and a figure emerged, dwarfed by the Zentradi around her. "Are you well, commander?" Breetai asked, his metal faceplate gleaming.  
  
Miriya looked up, taking a miniaturized garment and quickly pulling it on. "As well as can be expected in this tiny form," the green haired woman frowned. She shook her head grimly, "How do Micronians possibly stand it?"  
  
"I'm sure I don't know," the attendant said to her sympathetically before asking, "Do you feel any lingering ill effects?"  
  
Miriya snarled, "I'm fine!"  
  
"Are you clear on your mission?" Breetai asked with a slight frown.  
  
"To infiltrate the Micronian city on board of Zor's ship," Miriya stood at attention while she said, "and discover the weapons capabilities they are hiding." Silently she added, 'And I will find the pilot who defeated me in battle and kill him. Slowly....'  
  
"A Battlepod will carry you in," Breetai said gruffly, "and launch your capsule into the hull of the vessel. From then on, you will be on your own."  
  
"I'm an Angel pilot," Miriya's voice was mildly chiding as she continued on, "I will manage, and emerge from this triumphant."  
  
"Understood," Breetai nodded then turned away, the giant striding off into the ship.  
  
Miriya climbed into the padded capsule, settling down while the end was sealed. 'I hope this works,' she thought, letting her worry show in the privacy of this place. The next few hours were something of a blur.... The battle, weapon's fire outside the chamber, then a massive impact.  
  
"Time to go," Miriya muttered to herself, picking herself up from where she fell. A bit of blood matted her hair, her scalp split by the crash.  
  
The pilot made her way from the ruptured container, emerging into the outer levels of Zor's ship. She looked out through a gap to the aerial combat outside, the blossoms of missile and weapons fire, the battlepods and Evangelion fighters in a maelstrom of fire and death. Turning resolutely she strode forward, seeking a route into the interior of the ship.  
  
The ship rocked occasionally as Miriya weaved her way inside, her rough garb pulled around her slim body. She emerged from a section of hull and shaded her eyes, the artificial blue sky and simulated sun high above them. 'A waist of time and technology,' she noted while still feeling oddly... comforted by the illusion.  
  
"Are you all right?" a woman's voice asked as Miriya stumbled, distracted from her steps by the sight of males and females walking so closely together.  
  
Miriya quickly turned around, silently cursing her distraction as she took in the girl who had managed to sneak up behind her. Her dark hair was pulled up in a complicated looking bun, a long dress hugging her slim form as she gazed up at Miriya worriedly. "I'm fine," she said curtly, "I just had a bit of an accident."  
  
"More than a bit," she reached out to where a slow trickle of blood dropped from Miriya's scalp, "you've been hurt." She grabbed at the startled Miriya's arm and tugged her after her, "Let's get you some help."  
  
"Who are you?" Miriya blinked as the woman pulled her forward.  
  
"Oh," she beamed up at the slightly taller Miriya, "my name is Minmei."  
  
"Miriya," she said, deciding to just let the woman pull her along. 'This could turn out to be useful,' she thought.  
  
Not long afterward she was sitting inside a restaurant called 'Little White Dragon,' an older woman bearing a resemblance to Minmei tending to her wound. "Thank you, Auntie," Minmei said, looking worriedly over her shoulder at Miriya.  
  
The older woman gave Miriya a gentle smile, "It looks like you had a rough time." She finished applying a bandage then gently tugged at the arm of Miriya's rough garment, "Even your clothes are in bad shape."  
  
Miriya's thoughts raced, a story quickly forming in her mind. "I don't remember," Miriya admitted, "it's all sort of blurry."  
  
"Do you have anywhere to stay?" Minmei asked, looking down at her in concern.  
  
Miriya shrugged helplessly, "I don't really know."  
  
Minmei looked appealingly towards her aunt, the older woman smiling back wryly. "Looks like you've brought another lost kitten home," she chuckled, "I'll get the spare bedroom ready."  
  
Miriya looked surprised, "You're letting me...."  
  
"It's no trouble," Minmei beamed. A few moments her aunt came down to let them know and Minmei drew her upstairs, "I like having people here."  
  
"Right," Miriya said, seeing clothes laid out on the bed in the upstairs room. She touched the shirt and long pants thoughtfully, surprised at how nice they felt on her skin.  
  
"My old boyfriend's clothes," Minmei said a bit apologetically, "I told Auntie that you two were pretty close to the same size...."  
  
Miriya picked up the red shirt thoughtfully before stripping off her roughly made Zentradi garb and pulling the clean clothes on. "Is this the correct uniform?" she asked Minmei curiously, tugging at the loosely fitting shirt.  
  
"It's not a uniform," Minmei laughed, "it's just clothes." She saw the white pants slip down Miriya's slim hips, the woman frantically grabbing at the waistband. "I'd better lend you a belt," she said, grabbing a black one.  
  
"Thank you," Miriya sighed. With some assistance she threaded the belt through the loops, tightening the belt to keep the pants up.  
  
"You really don't seem to know anything," Minmei murmured. She smiled sunnily, taking Miriya's hand, "Don't worry, we'll help you get your memory back."  
  
"I hope so," Miriya smiled back. 'That improvisation was brilliant,' she thought to herself, 'it explains away all of my confusion.' Minmei left her there to rest and Miriya lay back on the bed, a bit surprised at how comfortable it was compared to her usual quarters. 'Now if I can just find that damn pilot,' Miriya mused.  
  
In another part of the ship two women walked side by side, talking softly. "I can understand your being nervous," Ritsuko said with a gentle smile, "I'm feeling it, too."  
  
"Really?" Maya looked up at the tall blonde in surprise.  
  
Ritsuko laughed softly, reaching out to take her black haired lover's hand. "It's a big step we're taking," she said, "I may be sure of you but myself? I'm a mass of confusion."  
  
"I've always been sure of you, Sempai," Maya squeezed Ritsuko's hand.  
  
Ritsuko chuckled softly, looking down at her with a sultry look. "You really should be careful about calling me that," she purred, "you never know what might happen."  
  
Maya gulped, a bit of a flush appearing on her face. "And what might that be?" she managed to squeak out.  
  
The two women stopped near an intersection, Ritsuko gently tilting Maya's face up with a finger. "I might have to take you back to our quarters," she whispered, "and...."  
  
"We're on duty," Maya squealed.  
  
Rei looked as Ritsuko chased a blushing Maya by them, the two women disappearing in the distance. "Thank god they didn't see us," Shinji noted mildly.  
  
"That was sort of cute," Rei noted, a slight blush on her pale cheeks.  
  
Asuka chuckled wickedly, "I almost wish they had gone through with whatever they were going to do in the hallway."  
  
"Asuka," Rei scolded, blushing brighter.  
  
Asuka carried her helmet over her shoulder as the three flight suit garbed pilots started off again. "Do you two want to hit the town with me for dinner?" she asked.  
  
"Gotta pass," Shinji looked a bit sheepish, "the last call I got from Minmei sounded like she was feeling a bit neglected. I thought I'd take her out for dinner."  
  
"Bring a present too," Asuka reminded him, "she likes that sort of thing." She looked over at Rei, "How about it?"  
  
Rei looked at Asuka a moment, her little tongue poking out to moisten suddenly dry lips. "I'd love too," she smiled.  
  
To be continued.... 


	12. 12

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Twelve  
  
Asuka stood in her quarters, stripping her flight suit off quickly and efficiently. In just her bra and panties Asuka paused to look in her mirror for a moment. A slim, athlertic young woman looked out at her, the almost flaming hair flowing over her shoulders.  
  
"What am I doing?" Asuka muttered to herself softly, turning to her closet.  
  
When she had invited Rei out to dinner tonight she hadn't been expecting to feel this confused. After all, she had gone out with Rei and Shinji before, gotten drunk and even did kareoke together. But somehow, this felt different, maybe because it was just her and Rei on their own.  
  
A bit of a blush colored Asuka's cheeks as she thought back to that last drunken night out. Waking up laying in there Rei's bed, the blue haired young woman sleeping peacefully beside her had been quite an experience. Especially when Rei had slipped from the bed, slinking about the room in just panties and T-shirt.  
  
"I can't believe I'm thinking about this," Asuka scowled, digging through the clothes. She held up one of her nicer dresses, then looked at a pair of black pants and T-shirt. 'Wonder how Rei is going to dress?' she thought wryly.  
  
To make things even more confusing was reading Rei's typically deadpan expression. She just didn't seem to react to anything, from deadly danger to her near nudity that morning. 'Well, that isn't quite true,' Asuka admitted. Over the months she had been working with Rei the girl had begun to open up, or Asuka was getting better at reading her, either way.  
  
With a sigh Asuka grabbed the shirt, buttoning up the white cotton over her equally white underwear. Then she sat down on the side of her bed and grabbed her pants, pulling the black garment up her legs before buttoning them up. A belt made sure the pants would stay up, then she paused in front of the mirror to brush her hair. Slipping her shoes on she put wallet and keys in her pockets and was out the door and gone.  
  
Asuka made her way through the corridors of the SDF-1, nodding slightly in recognition to those people she knew. What she didn't notice was the warm glances she got, the officers looking at her admiringly as they passed by. She had a reputation, Asuka Langley, one that was growing more and more with the telling. The commanding officer who kept up with the Angels of Death, one of the youngest pilots to make ace, and more and more accomplishments. Still, she remained unaware of the legend growing around her and her wingmates.  
  
Asuka hesitated at the door, then she rang the bell. Oddly, no sound echoed inside and she noticed the door was slightly ajar. Pushing it open a bit she called out, "Rei? It's Asuka."  
  
"Come on in," the woman's voice called back.  
  
Asuka pushed the front door open, walking into the set of rooms that was now mildly familiar to her. After looking around she stepped into the bedroom, looking around her curiously as the door to the shower slid open.  
  
"I'm sorry," Rei stepped out, her body damp from the shower, a towel wrapped around her slim body, "I'm running a little behind."  
  
"Sorry," Asuka repeated, backing up so that she thumped up against the wall, "I didn't mean... I didn't realize you were...."  
  
Rei took a step forward, apparently unaware that the towel she was wearing was slipping down as she said, "It's all right, Asuka."  
  
"Right," Asuka squeaked out.  
  
Rei flashed a slightly impish smile, tugging her towel back up a bit as she said, "I'll be ready to go in a moment." She went to where a white dress lay on her bed, her back to Asuka as she softly said, "You look good in that."  
  
"Thanks," Asuka managed to get out, her eyes widening as Rei simply let the towel drop to the floor. The nude young woman picked up a pair of lacy panties, bending over to pull it on and providing a lovely view of her rounded bottom. Then she lifted her dress from the bed, smoothly pulling it over her head to let it gently settle down around her body.  
  
Rei reached around her back, trying to get her zipper pulled up. "Could you..." she looked over her shoulder at Asuka warmly.  
  
"Sure," the mildly pale Asuka stepped up, carefully grabbing the zipper and pulling it up as the delicate scent of soap and shampoo washed over her. She laid the tab down smoothly, patting Rei on the back gently.  
  
Rei smiled up at Asuka as she murmured, "Thank you."  
  
Asuka cleared her throat, a bit of a blush to her cheeks. "I was wondering," she said quietly, "where you wanted to go?"  
  
Rei clearly looked amused at the effect that she was having on Asuka, "Do you have someplace in mind?"  
  
Asuka smiled a bit sheepishly, "Little White Dragon?"  
  
"I'd love to," Rei said. She sat on the side of her bed, slipping white socks and her shoes on then getting up to take Asuka's arm. "Shall we go?" she asked.  
  
Shinji pushed his black hair back, wishing he had gotten it trimmed last time. He looked good in his casuals and the boquet of roses he carried wafte a delicate scent over him. 'guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be,' he mused, pushing open the door to the Little White Dragon.  
  
The resturant was crowded tonight, filled nearly to capacity by men and women of the city along with several off-duty pilots and crew members he recognized. He made his way through the press of people, waving cheerfully to the lady behind the counter.  
  
"Head on upstairs," the older woman said to him cheerfully, "Minmei is waiting there with a friend of hers."  
  
"Thanks." Shinji waved. 'A friend of hers?' he thought as he took the stairs up to the rooms on the second floor. He was feeling a bit disappointed that they wouldn't be alone, but he'd manage. Besides, he hadn't met many of Minmei's friends yet.  
  
"Shinji," Minmei beamed at him as she closed a door behind her. She ran forward in her simple summer dress and hugged him, then exclaimed happily over the roses he carried. "Thank you," she brought the roses up to her face, breathing in the scent.  
  
"They suit you," Shinji smiled slightly.  
  
Minmei got a vase out, putting the roses in water and carefully arranging them. "Did my Aunt tell you about our guest?" she asked.  
  
"She mentioned something," Shinji shrugged.  
  
"I found her just after one of the battles," Minmei sighed softly, "she was hurt, and it looks like she doesn't remember anything."  
  
"Ouch," Shinji winced, rubbing the back of his head. He hesitated a moment then asked, "Do you want us to bring her with us?"  
  
"Would you mind?" Minmei smiled. She looked up at him with a smile, "It might help her to see more of the city, maybe."  
  
"Well, why not," Shinji shrugged. He smiled slightly, "I was sort of expecting to have Asuka and Rei tagging along, this isn't much different."  
  
"So where are they?" Minmei raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Going out to dinner together," Shinji explained.  
  
"Isn't that interesting," Minmei said, leading him down the hall. She tapped on the closed spare bedroom door and asked, "Miriya?"  
  
The door opened a second later, a green haired young woman standing in the doorway dressed in borrowed man's clothes. "Minmei," she nodded then looked curiously as Shinji.  
  
"I'd like you to meet Shinji Ikari," Minmei said cheerfully.  
  
Shinji nearly frowned as he looked at the young woman. 'Where have I seen her befotre?' he wondered. After Minmei jabbed him lightly he stuck out his hand, "Nice to meet you."  
  
Miriya took it, shaking with a thoughtful expresion on her face. "Indeed," she murmured.  
  
"Well," Minmei said cheerfully as she grabbed both of their arms and tugged them forward, "let's get going."  
  
Shinji gave Miriya a helpless look behind Minmei's back and the young woman replied with a hesitant smile and a slight shrug.  
  
To be continued.... 


	13. 13

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Thirteen  
  
Rei sighed to herself happily, the slim blue haired young woman luxuriating in the warmth of the shower, the force of the water scouring her body clean. She had thought the bell rang, the off in the distance Asuka called out, "Rei? It's Asuka."  
  
"Shit," Rei cursed under her breath, quickly shutting the water off and climbing out of the shower, "I'm late!" Raising her voice she called back to Asuka, "Come on in,"  
  
Rei quickly dried herself as she listened to Asuka open the front door and walk inside. She saw Asuka step into the bedroom as she wrapped a towel around her body, smiling as Asuka's eyes visibly widened at the sight of her  
  
"I'm sorry," Rei said mildly, fighting back the pleasure she felt at Asuka's reaction, "I'm running a little behind."  
  
"Sorry," Asuka repeated, backing up so that she thumped up against the wall, "I didn't mean... I didn't realize you were...."  
  
Rei took a step forward, feeling the towel she was wearing slip down a bit as she gently said, "It's all right, Asuka."  
  
"Right," Asuka squeaked out.  
  
With a slightly impish smile Rei took pity on her, tugging her towel back up a bit as she said, "I'll be ready to go in a moment." She went over to where a white dress lay on her bed, keeping her back to Asuka as she softly said, "You look good in that."  
  
It hadn't startled her, exactly, when Asuka walked in, but her look had certainly Rei's breath away. The white button shirt and dark pants suited the beautiful pilot, giving her a boyish air while still highlighting all of her womanly charms. All in all Asuka looked lovely, so much so she found it a bit distracting.  
  
"Thanks," Asuka managed to get out.  
  
Rei simply loosened the towel as she felt Asuka's eyes on her, letting the towel drop to the floor. She picked up a pair of lacy panties, bending over to pull it on and intentionally providing a lovely view of her rounded bottom. Then she lifted her dress from the bed, smoothly pulling it on over her head to let it gently settle down around her body.  
  
Rei reached around her back, trying to get her zipper pulled up but frowned, not quite able to reach it. "Could you..." she looked over her shoulder at Asuka warmly.  
  
"Sure," the mildly pale Asuka said. She stepped close, carefully grabbing at the zipper and pulling it up, the scent she wore mingling with the soap and shampoo Rei had used. Asuka laid the tab down smoothly, and Rei shivered slightly as she patted her on the back gently.  
  
Rei turned back to her and smiled up at Asuka as she murmured, "Thank you."  
  
Asuka cleared her throat, a bit of a blush to her cheeks. "I was wondering," she said quietly, "where you wanted to go?"  
  
Rei tried not to looked too amused at the effect that she was having on Asuka. "Do you have someplace in mind?" she asked.  
  
Asuka smiled a bit sheepishly as she suggested, "Little White Dragon?"  
  
"I'd love to," Rei said. She sat down on the side of her bed, slipping white socks and her shoes on then getting up to take Asuka's arm. "Shall we go?" she asked.  
  
"Lets," Asuka agreed.  
  
The two women walked through the crew section of the SDF-1, eventually climbing into a jeep to reach the city of Macross itself. Rei felt many eyes on them, taking them in as a couple and she felt a surge of pride. Asuka strode down the crowded street, her red-orange hair flowing around her shoulders. Rei stuck close to her side, holding on to Asuka's hand and smiling up at the taller woman.  
  
Asuka blushed slightly under the warmth of her gaze, the jostling of the crowd throwing them closer together. "Are you all right?" she asked, sheltering Rei with her arm.  
  
"I'm fine," Rei sighed happily as she slid a bit closer to Asuka, "thank you."  
  
Asuka kept her arm around Rei's shoulders as they started off again, entirely uncaring of the looks they were getting from the crowd. "You're welcome," Asuka murmured.  
  
The restaurant was busy as they two entered, some familiar faces nodding from many of the tables. Minmei's Aunt smiled as they came up to her, clearly delighted at seeing the two of them there together. "Shinji, Minmei and their new friend went out already," she cheerfully relayed, "but I hope you'll be staying for dinner."  
  
"We were planning on it," Rei murmured softly.  
  
Asuka pushed her hair back one-handedly, keeping a grip on Rei as she said, "Do you think we could have a corner table, somewhere private?"  
  
"Oh ho," the older woman smiled, eyes twinkling. She nodded firmly and said, "I'm sure I can find a spot for you two." A few moments later she was sitting the two down at a secluded corner table, lighting a candle that gave the area a soft glow.  
  
Asuka held Rei's chair for her in a curiously old fashioned gesture, one that brought a faintly pleased blush to her cheeks. Rei put her hand on Asuka's before she moved to go to her seat, looking up silently but with that warm little smile on her face.  
  
The older woman smiled as she watched Asuka settled into her own chair. "So what can I get you this evening?" she asked.  
  
Rei nodded to Asuka, "You pick."  
  
Asuka flashed a smile, "Right." She looked up at the lady beside their table and said, "Two of the dinner specials, but could we have a bottle of wine and two glasses?"  
  
"Coming right up," with that the older woman was gone.  
  
Rei had the oddest little smile on her face as she put her chin on her hands, looking across at her warmly. "I didn't know you were so romantic," she said softly.  
  
Asuka met her eyes, her own smile matching Rei's for warmth. "Only with the right person," was her answer, "I wouldn't do this for just anyone."  
  
Rei blushed slightly, feeling complimented by what Asuka had just said. "And am I the right person?" she asked quietly.  
  
Asuka reached across the table hesitantly, clearly unsure how the gesture might be received, and laid her hand over Rei's. "I think so," she answered quietly.  
  
Rei squeezed that hand, touched by the gentleness she saw in Asuka's eyes. "It's all right," she said softly. She studied Asuka a moment, finally venturing to ask, "You're attracted to me, aren't you?"  
  
Asuka's cheeks went a bright red. "I can't believe you'd just ask like this," she muttered, looking down to hide her face.  
  
"Are you?" Rei repeated, tilting her head a bit to get a better look at Asuka's face.  
  
"Yes," Asuka admitted, still blushing fiercely.  
  
"Me, too," Rei agreed softly.  
  
"Your two dinner specials," Minmei's Aunt dropped the two plates off, clearly amused as the two pulled back a bit, "wine and glasses." She beamed at the two women as she said, "If you need anything else let me know and I hope you'll enjoy your meal."  
  
"Thanks," Asuka smiled up at the older woman then looked over at Rei as she added quietly, "I'm sure that we will."  
  
"Let's go to the karaoke bar first," Minmei said cheerfully, Shinji and Miriya walking beside the bouncy Chinese girl, "then maybe we'll try the arcades."  
  
"I should warn you that I don't sing very well," a smiling Shinji noted, his short black hair falling down into his eyes.  
  
"That's half the fun," Minmei laughed, squeezing his hand.  
  
Miriya had that look on someone's face when they have no clue what's going on. "Karaoke?" the green haired woman asked.  
  
Shinji gave her a sympathetic look, clearly having bought into the amnesia story. "It's kind of hard to explain," he said, "we'll show you, okay?"  
  
'Ah ha!' Miriya thought. 'Maybe this karaoke they mention is one of their military secrets? This could be a breakthrough,' she mused excitedly.  
  
"Here we are," Minmei said cheerfully, tugging them inside the modern building.  
  
Miriya studied her surroundings intently as they entered the booth, wondering what she might be dealing with. Two couches were on either side, a odd looking mechanical device sitting in the center of the room.  
  
Shinji passed the cans of sake he had picked up from one of the vending machines outside. "You'll need some of this once I start singing," he said with a laugh.  
  
"Thank you," Miriya blinked, after a moment's study popping open the tin. She took a hesitant drink, her eyes widening slightly, "Whoo!"  
  
"So who gets to go first?" Minmei beamed.  
  
"You first," Shinji offered with a grin, "that way Miriya can hear some good singing first."  
  
"I'd like that," Miriya agreed, curious to see what this singing and karaoke were.  
  
Minmei ran through the selection a moment then nodded cheerfully, "Here's one!" She hit the switch, soft music playing as she raised the mic. to her lips and sang, ".... and heard her whisper out a name long forgiven, but not forgotten."  
  
Miriya felt her cheeks go red, emotions racing through her form as Minmei swayed, her voice washing over her. It was almost as if something old within her was awakening, touched by this strange sound, this singing. She leaned forward, eyes closed, and soaked it in.  
  
The final chorus rang out as Minmei finished, "You're forgiven, not forgotten."  
  
"That was good," Shinji murmured, looking over at Miriya and surprised to see the glitter of tears on her cheeks. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
Miriya blinked at him, then reached up to touch the tears as she looked at Minmei. "I've never..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say.  
  
To be continued.... 


	14. 14

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Fourteen

A suddenly blooming fireball signaled the destruction of yet another battlepod as the variable fighter Evangelion soared through the blast. The brown haired young woman sitting in the pilot's seat studied her heads up display for a moment then began to curse softly.

Hikaru Horaki scowled to herself as she radioed her wingmen to demand, "All right guys, where are you now?"

A few seconds later a blonde haired young man looked at her sheepishly as his face appeared on the screen, the similarly designed fighter plane settling in beside her as they soared across the battlefield. "Sorry," Aida pushed his glasses up under his helmet, "we got kinda hung up back there."

The other boy had darker brown hair and a cocky smile on his face as his fighter slid into place on the other side. "We needed to save some of our fellow pilots," Toji boasted.

"More like they saved us," Aida muttered.

"Hey!" Toji protested.

"Break it up you two," Hikaru said to them firmly, "we've got work to do." She smiled to herself sadly as memories came to haunt her, thinking about how they had been ordinary schoolmates way back when. Then the war came to Japan, they went to a recruitment office and discovered that all three of them had the skills needed to be a pilot.

"You all right?" Aida asked her, peering at her worriedly.

"I'm fine," Hikaru softly reassured him. There was a sudden alarm on their status screens and she growled softly, noting the breakthrough in their lines. "Let's go," she commanded them, "it looks like things are getting lively again."

"Next time let's get out here when the Angels of Death are around," Aida said with a slight smile, "things are always quieter with them on patrol."

"We don't need those three," Toji scoffed.

Hikaru didn't answer, all her attention focused on her viewscreen. Still, she had to admit that Aida was right, the Zentradi really didn't like facing the three aces known as the Angels of Death, Asuka, Rei and Shinji. "You'd better be enjoying your night off," she muttered.

The three Evangelion shifted almost as one being, the fighters swiftly reconfiguring into the EVA mode, semi-humanoid warriors of frightening power. Their railguns boomed as they fired, spent shells falling towards the sea far below as the three drove back an enemy asault.

On the bridge Ritsuko monitored the ongoing battle, the blonde haired officer's gaze intense on the screen. "We're holding the fighter assault back with minimal losses," she reported, "and several Zentradi battle cruisers are holding a parallel course to observe."

Misato looked like she was fast asleep, the black captain's hat she usually wore pulled down over her eyes as she lounded in her chair. The black haired woman's voice was crystal clear, however, as she crisply asked them, "And what about the Angels?"

"No Angel units have been reported by the pilots," Ritsuko answered.

Maya spoke up from her tactical station before she could even be asked the question, "While our sensors can't perfectly distinguish between the normal enemy units and Angels, it appears that there aren't any out there."

"So why aren't they using them?" Misato pushed herself up a bit in her chair to look out the viewport at the bursts of light flaring in the sky, each one a dying pilot.

Makoto spoke up from his station to offer a theory, "Well, maybe they have much less of those suits than we thought?"

"Or they're just holding them back for somekind of final assault," Ritsuko said seriously.

"You always say the most reassuring things," Misato said with a scowl. She looked thoughtful, "The enemy cruisers?"

Ritsuko blinked then turned back to her console, "Still holding their distance."

"Maybe it's time we reminded them that we have some teeth," Misato said with a dangerous little smile. "Ready the main gun," she commanded, "target those cruisers."

"Right," Maya squeaked as the bridge crew set to work.

The massive starship began to shift, segments moving as different components were brought together to combine the systems. Looking oddly humanoid the SDF-1 reared up, aircraft carrier arms extended, thrusters from it's engine legs holding it aloft. Twin bows dropperd into place on the shoulders, directed towards where the cruisers observed.

"Modular transformation completed," Ritsuko reported the facts crisply, "the main gun is active and ready to fire on your command."

Between the massive bows a energy began to built. It began with a soft glow around each of the massive structures, then bolts of lightning began to dance between them. Brighter and brighter it grew, a powerful magnetic bottle holding the energy back.

"Fighter commanders report that all Evengelion are clear of the firing radius," Maya said, her expression deadly serious.

"Fire!" Misato commanded.

Maya firmly pressed down on the big red button, the power that had been so carefully built up simply unleashed in a focused direction. The cruisers saw it coming, slowly attempting to turn but it was simply too late. The wave of destructive fire washed over all of them and no matter how good their armor was it couldn't stand against it.

"Sensors confirm the destruction of all targets," Maya said softly. She looked shaken, the sudden destruction of the Zentradi vessels filling them all with a mix of awe and fear. A gentle hand was set on hers and Maya met Ritsuko's sympathetic gaze.

Makoto's voice was relieved as he reported, "The remaining battlepods are pulling out, disengaging from our Evangelion fighters."

"Keep us in combat mode for the next hour," Misato commanded, "I don't want the Zentradi thinking we're just a one shot wonder."

"What about the city?" Ritsuko asked curiously, referring to the entire city that the SDF-1 carried in it's massive belly.

"They're used to this sort of thing by now," Misato said optimistically before adding, "besides, what could go wrong?"

Deep within the heart of the SDF-1 Minmei sighed tiredly as the Chinese beauty muttered, "Look at the mess you've gotten us into."

"But I didn't," Shinji started to say only to trail off with a sigh, looking around the pit that the three of them were trapped in. They had rushed for a safety zone as the ship reshaped itself but were caught up in moving segments until they ended up in here.

"What happened?" Miriya asked them, the green haired young woman looking around her with honest curiosity.

"The ship had to transform," Shinji sighed, the brown haiored boy continuing on, "probably to fire the main cannons."

"Wonder how long we'll be stuck here?" Minmei asked, looking around them at the massive walls disappearing into the distance.

"Who knows," Shinji shrugged. He noticed Minmei shivering slightly and pulled his jacket off to drape it over her shoulders.

"Thank you," Minmei smiled up at the young man greatfully.

'I will never understand these beings,' Miriya thought irritably, feeling a uncomfortable sensation in her stomach as she watched. Finally she had to ask, "And the cannon can not be fired without the transformation?"

Shinji actually blushed slightly, keeping his distance from Minmei. "We lost segments of the ship's interior during the first major space fold," he explained uncomfortably, "the transformation is the only way to link the various pieces of the cannon together."

"I never knew that," Minmei admitted.

'And to think we wondered why they weren't using their weapons,' Miriya thought, the Zentradi officer taking a seat against one of the walls, 'when in fact they couldn't.'

"Miriya's got the right idea," Shinji said as he sat down too, "there's not much we can do until the ship reverts back to normal."

Minmei settled down beside him, the young woman snuggling in warmly there by Shinji. "I just hate waiting here without doing anything," she gave Shinji a little smile.

'No,' Miriya thought to herself, fighting off the feeling of being physically ill from watching them, 'I will never understand these beings.'

To be continued....


	15. 15

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Fifteen

The sudden whooping of alarms caused both women to jerk apart, the second lingering kiss rudely interrupted. Rei cursed softly but inventively, the blue haired girl's red eyes narrowing angrily as she muttered, "I don't believe this."

"I didn't know you even knew that sort of language," Asuka said gently, the two women sitting closely on her living room couch. The lights were dimmed in the suite, a soft piece of instrumental music playing in the background.

"Sorry," Rei blushed, "do you think we need to report in?"

Asuka reached out to put a steadying hand on Rei's arm, "Actually, Commander Ritsuko herself insisted that we get tonight off."

"Good," Rei took the lead and bent forward to gently press her lips to Asuka's once again. They lingered a moment, savoring the kiss, then slid apart a bit breathlessly.

"You're good at that," Asuka sighed happily, only then realizing that she had slipped her arms around the smaller woman.

"Natural skill," Rei purred as she snuggled closer, "and a very vivid imagination."

"And what else did you imagine?" Asuka looked down at her curiously, her own dark eyes twinkling with amusement.

"I think that showing you them on the couch would get a bit uncomfortable," Rei said, her breath soft against the base of Asuka's throat.

Asuka gently pulled them up off of the couch, standing there holding Rei's hands. She gently tugged her towards the bedroom, "Last chance to back out."

Rei smoothly walked along beside her as she smiled up at Asuka, "Considering how long I've wanted to do this...."

"Then let's not wait any longer," Asuka led her into the bedroom, then firmly closing the door behind them.

"I just hope that Rei and Asuka are having a better time than we are," Shinji sighed, the brown haired young man sitting up against the side of the chamber they were trapped in.

"They're probably making out right now," Minmei offered, the black haired young woman huddling close to Shinji's side for added warmth.

"Minmei," Shinji scolded, his cheeks reddening. 'How could she know that.' he wondered, 'unless she and Asuka...?'

"No, we didn't," Minmei seemed to read his thoughts.

"Make out?" Miriya asked, the green haired young lady sitting on Shinji's other side. It felt strange, being this close to a male, it made her stomach hurt oddly.

"You don't know...?" Shinji looked at her in confusion.

"No," Miriya shook her head.

"Ah, Minmei?" Shinji looked over at her desperately, hoping that she could explain the delicate subject to Miriya.

Minmei chuckled softly. "When two people go out on a date together they do things like kiss and touch," she explained, "and we sometimes call that making out."

"I'm sorry," Miriya sighed, "but what is... kiss?"

Deciding that a visual demonstration might be better than a complex explanation Minmei moved to gently press her lips to the startled Shinji, kissing the young man lingeringly. For a few moments they were lost to the sensations, only separating reluctantly.

"What...?" Shinji blinked in surprise as he saw the other woman.

Quite involuntarily Miriya had scooted as far away from the kissing couple as she could manage, the sight having a unexpected effect on her. Heart racing, soaked with sweat she almost felt like she was going to be physically ill. 'Is this some mysterious weapon?' Miriya thought wildly.

"Are you all right?" Minmei asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry," Miriya answered as she did her best to recover her poise, trying not to show how badly she had just been shaken.

"Might be some kind of trauma associated with your memory loss," Minmei said sympathetically, "we didn't know...."

"I guess so," Miriya smiled weakly even as she noticed the shrewd glance Shinji was giving her. 'Does he remember our earlier meeting?' she worried, 'He did see my face then.'

There was a sudden rumble and they felt the walls shift slightly. Gradually segments of the great ship began to move, smoothly sliding back into their customary places as the vessel shifted from battle-mode to it's cruiser form. Finally they stood in the street where they started out in, back when the alarms made them run for shelter in the first place.

"About time," Shinji puffed out a relieved breath.

"You sure know how to show a girl a good time," Minmei grinned at him, then she looked over at Miriya. "Are you up for more," she asked, "or do you want to call it quits for the night?"

'I've already learned secrets of this battleship and kissing tonight,' Miriya thought to herself, 'who knows what else I might learn?' Taking a deep breath she tried to smile like Minmei had, "Yes, I would like to continue on."

"So where to next?" Shinji asked them, his T-shirt highlighting the thin young man's muscles. His coat was still draped around Minmei's shoulders and by the contented look on her face she had no intention of returning it just yet.

"There's always the movies or an arcade," Minmei offered.

"Movies," Shinji suggested cheerfully, "I usually can't find anyone who can give me a challenge at the arcade, anyway."

'I would give you a challenge, fool,' Miriya thought but firmly kept her mouth shut.

"Maybe that martial arts film is still showing, my cousin Kyle is in it," Minmei looked sad as she added softly, "I wish I could see him again."

Miriya looked over at Minmei sympathetically, remembering fellow warriors and friends who had been lost to time, distance or battle. "I'm sorry," she offered gently.

"At least he's still alive," Shinji said, his expression grave, "there's a lot of people on this ship who've lost family or friends to the war."

'I hadn't considered,' Miriya realized. She had been trained to see the enemy much like themselves, manufactured warriors serving faceless masters. But more and more she was beginning to see these micronians as something... more.

"Enough seriousness," Minmei laughed, "have you heard about the Miss Macross contest the city is holding?"

"You're entering, of course," Shinji grinned as they walked along together.

"A contest?" Miriya asked.

"Yes," Minmei grinned, "it's a beauty contest with a talent portion, too." She looked thoughtful, "I haven't decided what to sing yet, though."

'This could be interesting,' Miriya thought.

"Here we are," Shinji said as they reached the theater. He paid their way in, wincing slightly as Minmei loaded up at the snack bar.

"Yum," Minmei munched on popcorn, passing some over for Miriya to try.

'Is this some kind of combat record?' Miriya wondered as the figures leapt about on the screen, kicking and punching away at each other with abandon. 'I think I'm impressed,' she crunched on some more popcorn happily.

To be continued....


	16. Tech Briefing

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Technical Briefing

Gendo Ikari paused as he feverishly worked on the controls of the latest series of Evangelion prototype, his short black hair falling into his eyes. "You want me to lecture the pilots on the basics of the Evangelion technology?" he asked.

Maya Ibuki nodded firmly, for a moment wishing that Ritsuko could be down there instead of her. "Yes, sir," she confirmed, "I believe that Commander Ritsuko is worried that the pilots are attempting to maintain their own EVAs, possibly even modifying them."

"A dangerous idea," Gendo looked up, his glasses gleaming, "considering the effects of raw Protoculture or the Instrumentality components,"

"You've adopted the enemy's word for the power cores," Maya blinked, "Protoculture?"

"It seems workable, for a word," Gendo replied thoughtfully. His labcoat swirled around his legs as he thought, "All right, I'll do it."

"I'm glad," Maya sighed in relief.

"... but I want Shinji, Asuka and Rei there."

"Why?" Maya looked at Gendo curiously.

Gendo beamed, "So that I can impress them with my utter brilliance!"

Maya sweatdropped. 'Yup, Gendo is really creeping me out,' she sighed. "All right, we'll get the meeting organized in a few days," she said then all but fled the room.

A few days later in a conference room of the SDF-1 a group of impatient pilots sat around, looking rather bored. "So why are we here again?" Asuka asked, her orange hair pulled back in a simple but comfortable ponytail.

"I don't know," Rei answered calmly, her light blue hair falling into her red eyes as she continued on, "but I have noticed that almost everyone in this room has been known to repair systems on their Evangelion fighters."

"But I haven't...." Shinji protested.

"Not me," Asuka paused as she felt both her wingmen's eyes resting on her doubtfully and modified what she was going to say, "well, not lately, anyway."

"You are aware it's against the rules, right?" Shinji reminded her.

"Of course she knows," Rei defended Asuka firmly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, "she just wants to have a hands-on knowledge of her EVA."

Asuka reached out to cover Rei's hand with her own, "Thanks."

"That's so sweet," Hikari sighed from behind them, the brown haired girl's hair tied back in it's usual twin ponytails.

"Disappointed a few of the single pilots," Toji admitted as he casually tried to take a look down the front of Asuka's top.

Hikari hit him on the back of the head, "Idiot."

Aida shook his head mournfully as he sighed, "I wonder if any of the single men can talk them into threesomes?"

"Asuka would murder you," Toji told him seriously.

"Yeah," Aida grinned, "but what a way to go!"

"Idiots," Hikari sighed again, but she was smiling slightly.

Maya cleared her throat at the front of the room, the boyish looking officer announcing, "Gendo Ikari is here to speak with you."

Right on cue Gendo burst from the side door, running inside with his long white lab coat flapping around his thin body. He stopped by the podium and pushed his round glasses up smoothly as he said intensely, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen." He looked around then waved spontaneously as he cheerfully called out, "Hi, Shinji!"

Shinji slumped a bit in his chair, feeling deeply embarrassed. "Hi, Dad," he mumbled.

Gendo beamed then instantly went back into serious mode as he addressed the room, "All right, who can tell me the origin of the Evangelion?"

There was a moment of dead silence in the room, each of the pilots waiting for someone else to answer. Finally Rei raised her hand with a sigh, "I know, sir."

Gendo gave her a wry smile, "As we both know." He looked around, then just like a school teacher he instantly narrowed in on the pilot who least wanted to be called upon and asked, "Toji, would you care to give it a try?"

The gangly young pilot groaned softly, Toji rising to his feet reluctantly. "Sir," he nodded formally, "from what I understand the Evangelion technology was developed from the study of the technology of this ship, which crashed to earth on New Year's Eve 2000."

Gendo smiled approvingly, "Simplistic but correct." He began to pace restlessly, "The arrival of this ship was well timed, interrupting a period of dangerous military adventurism, but what we discovered inside brought on new problems."

"A race of alien giants," Asuka spoke up, "who's own records confirmed they were interested only in conquest."

"Correct," Gendo agreed, "we still don't know what the race of aliens call themselves or where they come from, but their military technology was unmatched. The United Nations established NERV to study and repair the ship we eventually dubbed the Super Dimensional Fortress One."

"Assuming we'll have a SDF-2 and so on?" Aida offered hopefully.

"I believe that's the plan," Maya nodded.

"What's this I hear about you and Ritsuko getting married?" a pilot called from the back row.

"Uhm, I..." Maya's face went bright red.

Gendo cleared his throat, "Getting back on topic... we studied tissue samples from the aliens, and using that along with experimental technologies we crafted the first Evangelion."

"You're saying the EVAs are organic?" Hikari asked disbelievingly.

"Only the core," Gendo crisply explained, "what we're now calling Protoculture, a word provided by our new adversaries."

"Protoculture that is surrounded and monitored by Instrumentality," Maya added, "that channels the unique Protoculture energies to the rest of Evangelion and allows for the transformation from EVA to fighter mode."

"So why shouldn't we repair and maintain our EVAs?" Shinji asked, knowing that he was practically feeding his father a straight line.

Gendo flashed a smile for his son then went serious. "Accidental exposure to Protoculture has unpredictable effects," he took off his glasses a moment to reveal unearthly looking silver eyes, "as you can see." He looked regretful, "In the case of my former lab assistant a more complete change happened, though why we do not know."

Rei Ayanami stiffened slightly as he talked, then seemed to relax a bit when she wasn't mentioned by name. Not that her story wasn't known by most of the crew anyway, but that didn't mean she really wanted to go into it again, either.

"So," Gendo looked around eagerly, "are they any other questions?"

There was a moment of silence then Aida piped up, "Maya, are you going to be entering in the Miss Macross contest?"

"Ah, I'm not sure that's really relevant," Maya stuttered cutely.

"How about any of the other bridge crew?" another voice called.

"I don't really know," Maya blinked.

"Idiots," Hikari growled.


	17. 17

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Seventeen

Breetai looked out from his command bridge at the great ship that floated off in the distance, his expression grim as he looked at the most recent aerial battlefield. The last attack against the SDF-1 had been a viscous one, with a mysterious energy barrier system being deployed to protect the great vessel and later to destroy the attacking force

"How much damage did the explosion do their population centers?" he asked his crew grimly, the silver helm that covered part of his face gleaming, the crystal eyepatch shining. He struck an imposing figure, even among the warriors of his people.

"Complete devastation," was the simple answer, "the shock wave entirely destroyed the region for miles around. We never considered these Micronians could be so ruthless, especially against just a few cruisers and fighter wings."

Breetai nodded grimly. Commander Khyron had pressed home his attack against Zor's ship ruthlessly, attempting to break through the ship's defenses without considering the immense power they faced. Instead much of his attack force had been utterly destroyed, and the Micronians had demonstrated yet another dangerous ability.

"Send the report to Lord Dolza on what happened," Breetai ordered, "and maintain a safe distance between us and Zor's ship. We must consider this new ability and what it may mean to the war." As his men raced to obey he added, "Monitor their internal transmissions, we need to acquire any additional data we can."

"We continue to have difficulty with their language," another officer added reluctantly, "ad some of our people have found the images... disturbing."

"We are Zentradi warriors," Breetai answered firmly, "we will manage."

Meanwhile, in a private meeting room in the SDF-1 Captain Misato Katsuragi looked tired, rubbing at her eyes from her seat at the head of the table. Beside her Maya Ibuki, Ritsuko Akagi and Gendo Ikari sat, looking at their leader worriedly.

"How much did the barrier overload cost us?" Misato asked as the black haired woman looked at each of her officers.

Ritsuko pushed blonde hair back, her uniform now uncharacteristically wrinkled. "The sector governor has withdrawn his permission to offload our civilians," she said grimly, "and their casualty reports are still coming in."

"God." Misato sighed before looking over at Maya.

The brown haired younger lady looked like she had been crying, Maya's eyes red rimmed and a bit bloodshot. "We were relatively lucky, I suppose," Maya said seriously, "we only lost a few pilots when the barrier went up."

"The overload was completely unexpected," Gendo said without prompting, the black haired scientist grave, "it was designed to safely dissipate the attacks, but somehow it absorbed all the incoming energy until going critical."

"I think we forget that this is still alien technology we're working with," Ritsuko looked bleak, "with unpredictable abilities."

"And to think we raised the barrier to try to protect the people around us," Misato said bitterly, "the world government won't forgive this."

"I'll order the cancellation of the Miss Macross pageant," Maya said quietly, "it's meant to start in a few days, after all..."

"No," Misato said firmly after a moment's careful thought, "actually I think we should let them go ahead with it."

"Huh?" Ritsuko looked at her in surprise.

"The people of the city could use a morale boost right now," Misato said simply, "not to mention the crew."

Maya looked a bit nervous as she asked them, "Are you still interested in having a member of the bridge crew competing?"

"Yes," Ritsuko nodded before adding, "and it'll probably be you."

"Eeep," Maya squeaked.

Later that day in a larger compartment of the SDF-1 the ship's chaplain finished up his service, closing the bible as many of the pilots rose to quietly talk together. The fliers who had been caught up in the barrier explosion were being honored all together, a line of photos and names up near the front of the room wreathed in black ribbon.

"Commander Akagi and Maya don't look too good," Asuka noted, the orange haired pilot standing with her two wingmen.

"I think Maya is the type to take this sort of thing very personally," Shinji answered her quietly before revealing, "and I heard that Ritsuko has been running all over the ship trying to find out what exactly went wrong."

"I just hope that Hikari doesn't run into Ritsuko," Rei said to them softly, "she's upset enough to do something rash."

Asuka winced, her eyes seeking out Hikari Horaki in the crowd. The young pilot stood just a little apart from the others, her brown haired tied back in a ponytail, her uniform bearing the same black armband that all of them were wearing. Unlike most of them she had lost a wingman, and her grief nearly radiated off of her.

"Does anyone know why Toji couldn't get clear?" Shinji asked quietly.

"Don't tell Hikari but he was hot-dogging again," Asuka revealed, "he was fighting a group of battlepods and disregarded the evacuation order."

"How's Aida taking it?" Rei asked.

"He's more depressed that Hikari, in some ways," Shinji looked over at the blonde young man sitting near Hikari, "they were friends since they were kids."

"I hate to admit that I'm happy we were off destroying that cruiser," Asuka said what all three of them were thinking, "or we might have been at ground zero, too." She nervously ran a hand through her hair, "We'd better go see if we can help."

The three made their way to Hikari's side, the young woman seemingly lost in her own world. There was a awkward moment of silence then Rei surprised them by speaking up. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "I didn't know Toji that well, but I thought he was a good man."

"He was an idiot," Hikari answered softly.

"What?" Asuka blinked in surprise.

Hikari wiped at her eyes weakly, "He took forever to ask me out, you know. Took him weeks and he nearly fainted once he managed it."

"I didn't realize you two were..." Shinji blinked.

A grim smile twisted Hikari's lips, "We were careful, at least as much as we could." She reached out to touch the photo of the young man, her hand shaking slightly, "Now he's gone and none of that matters anymore."

Asuka reached out to squeeze Hikari's shoulder in a silent offering of support, "Was there anything you think he'd want done?"

"I'm inviting the pilots out to get good and drunk in his honor," Hikari answered with a wry smile, "I think he'd have wanted it that way."

Rei noticed a figure making her way through the crown and nudged Asuka as she softly warned, "Trouble, incoming."

Ritsuko reached them before any of the pilots could do anything, standing in front of the visibly pale Hikari. "I... regret your loss, Horaki-san," she said seriously.

Hikari met her eyes, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes as she softly growled, "Stuff your regrets, commander."

'Oh hell,' Asuka thought weakly.

"Why did this happen, damn it?" Hikari demanded, "How the hell did ten of our pilots get killed by our own barrier system?"

"I don't know," Ritsuko answered honestly, "but I intend to do everything in my power to find out, and to make sure it never happens again."

Rei smoothly kept Hikari from striking the Commander, grabbing the other woman's had. "You might want to go," she looked at Ritsuko then over to Hikari, "that would not be a good idea."

"Thanks," Ritsuko quietly left.

To be continued...


	18. Chapter 18

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Eighteen

Minmei carried another serving of food over to the table, casually setting the trays out as she flashed a smile at Shinji. "Is there anything else I can get you?" the black haired young woman asked the table full of pilots.

"Thank you," Hikari murmured, her brown haired tied back, "we're fine."

Over at the other table a female voice growled out, "Watch the hands!"

"Uh oh," Minmei rushed over to the other table to find Aida looking stunned as the green haired young woman pinned him against the wall, her eyes flashing, "Miriya, let him go," Minmei said patiently.

Miriya hesitated, then stepped away. "He grabbed me on the bottom," she glared at the blonde haired boy coldly.

"I didn't mean to," Aida protested weakly.

"Pervert," Minmei scolded him.

Shinji Ikari shook his head with a sigh, his black hair falling into his eyes as he followed her over. "Sorry," he gave Minmei a wry smile. He dropped his voice a bit to ask her, "When did Miriya start doing part time here?"

"She wanted to pay back my aunt," Minmei answered quietly. A slight smile teased her lips, "She's quite popular because she's so tough."

"Huh?" Asuka blinked, having been eagerly listening in to the conversation.

Minmei chuckled, "All the guys seem to have decided she's a challenge."

"Dog," Miriya growled to a customer up by the front counter, "sit down and be silent, or you will face my wrath!" The diner stopped trying to chat her up, sat down and timidly ate his meal.

"See what I mean?" Minmei shrugged.

"Aida, you all right?" Shinji asked him curiously.

"What a woman," Aida sighed, rubbing at his throat.

"What a fool," Rei murmured calmly, eating her food steadily.

Asuka smiled at Rei impishly. "We'll stick around for the wake," she said softly, "then head back home together."

"I'm still a little surprised that we're having a party," Rei admitted.

"Not exactly a party," Asuka mused, "more of a celebration of Toji's life, I think." She looked back at the morose Hikari, "Though I don't think she'll be celebrating anything for awhile."

"Some more sake, please," Hikari yelled, nodding approvingly as Miriya brought her another of the small bottles.

Maya Ibuki sat up by the front counter, sipping sake and watching the party from a distance. Her black hair was messier than normal, her uniform more than a little wrinkled. The eyes that were normally so clear were now red rimmed from tears.

"It wasn't your fault," the quiet voice came from behind her. Ritsuko Akagi sat down beside her, ordering a drink and a small meal. A battered overcoat was over her uniform, and she too had a tired, almost exhausted look on her face.

"I should have given the warning sooner," Maya said quietly.

"Gendo was still trying to figure out what was happening with the barrier system," Ritsuko answered, "there was no way you could have known." Her voice turned bitter, "I shouldn't have agreed to activating the system in the first place."

"All of Gendo's test data was good," Maya pointed out tiredly, "there was no way that you could have known."

"And yet here we are blaming ourselves," Ritsuko sighed. She tossed back a saucer of sake, "The burdens of command, I suppose, hindsight is always twenty-twenty."

"So what happens now?" Maya asked.

Ritsuko looked off in the distance, her expression carefully blank. "I got the heads up from a friend in Earth HQ," she finally said, "we're being exiled."

"What?" Maya asked softly.

Ritsuko smiled grimly, an expression entirely without humor. "We were a political embarrassment already with our return from space with an island of officially dead civilians aboard," she quietly explained.

"And the barrier explosion finished it?" Maya asked.

"It's considered too dangerous to have us on Earth," Ritsuko reported bleakly, "I think the Captain will be getting the official orders in a few days."

"Misato," Maya sighed sadly, thinking of their black haired leader, the intense, driven woman who had shepherded them home from the edge of the solar system to here. "Is she going to be all right?" she asked softly.

"Last time I checked," Ritsuko sighed, "Misato took a few beers home, but I don't think she'll let herself get too drunk."

In the background several of the pilots had begun to exchange funny stories about Toji. The young pilot seemed to have been well loved by his fellows, even though more often than not he was a bit of a short tempered screw up.

"How long have you known the captain?" Maya asked Ritsuko curiously, taking another drink of her sake.

Ritsuko turned, blonde hair falling into her eyes. "We met in college," she revealed, "and were even roommates together."

Maya felt a surprising flash of jealousy. "Roommates?" she echoed.

Ritsuko chuckled softly. "Don't worry," she reassured her girlfriend gently, "Misato was way too busy chasing boys to be worried about me."

"Sorry," Maya blushed cutely under Ritsuko's warmly amused gaze. "What was she like, anyway?" she found herself asking.

"Busy screwing everything with two legs," Ritsuko's eyes twinkled. "You'd be surprised how often I came home to find the 'do not disturb' sign on out door..."

Behind them another pilot was regaling the group with the time in basic training where Toji had taken a bet to sneak into the girl's showers and steal panties. Of course he was caught and the whole squad had pretty much taken revenge on him.

"So what did you do?" Maya asked.

"I usually found a willing lady to let me share her room," Ritsuko confessed. "I pretty much used university to sow my wild oats."

Maya blushed faintly, "Me, too." At Ritsuko's curious glance she explained, "I had a girlfriend or two and joined the gaysoc."

"That was wild?" Ritsuko raised an eyebrow.

"It was for me," Maya answered honestly.

Ritsuko chuckled softly. They sat there a bit, listening to the stories and conversation, then she sighed, "I'm not looking forward to reassigning the pilots after all this."

"Hikari won't be happy about having a new wingman," Maya agreed glumly. "Do you think we should break that wing up?"

"No," Ritsuko said forcefully, "not unless they request it, anyway."

Maya nodded her agreement. "It would be like breaking up the Angels of Death," she nodded to Rei, Asuka and Shinji.

"Not quite that bad," Ritsuko smiled faintly.

Hesitantly Maya looked up at Ritsuko, "I don't..." she paused, "want to be alone tonight."

Ritsuko slid her hand over to cover Maya's, squeezing it comfortingly. "Me, too," was all the answer she needed to give.

To be continued...


	19. Chapter 19

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Nineteen

Captain Misato Katsuragi watched the courier plane land on the deck amid the supply planes that had been coming in all day. The black haired woman fought back a painful wince, her hangover pounding as she walked back to her office desk and the report she was sending back to command. She had better finish it, she had a very good idea what orders the courier was bringing.

She skimmed the papers, Misato remembering everything that had happened... The SDF-1 launching a automatic attack against the arriving Zentradi forces, the destruction of the orbital forts by the aliens then the invasion. Getting her staff and pilots together in the middle of pre-launch ceremonies they had mobilized, launching conventional fighters and Veritechs against the battlepods that fell against Macross city.

Racing against time they launched the SDF-1, bringing guns on-line to support the fighter wings even as they tried to figure out what the hell was happening. Her bridge crew had shone that day, Ritsuko managing all the internal crisises of the ship even as Maya got the fighters moving, working with the bridge crew to reorganize wings on the fly and provide adequate cover.

"The space fold..." Misato winced.

Wanting to get the battle away from populated regions Misato had activated the spacefold system, targeting a point between the Earth and the moon. Instead, the field expanded uncontrolled and took the ship, two aircraft carriers and much of the island to the far side of the solar system. Thankfully most people were in sealed shelters, but the mad scramble to save them had been yet another Herculean effort for the already stressed crew.

Gendo Ikari's proposal to reassemble Macross city in the SDF-1's massive interior hold had seemed mad, but in the end it was the only option they had to house all of the refugees. The lead scientist behind Robotechnology had even devised a way to keep the city safe when the SDF-1 had to go through modular transformation, a innovation required by the mysterious disappearance of the vessel's spacefold drives.

"Of course that's where we started getting new crew," Misato recalled. Rei Ayanami, Gendo's own lab assistant and a victim of exposure to mutagenic chemicals had joined the pilots, soon followed by Shinji Ikari. Both ascended in rank and reputation, soon earning the nickname the 'Angels of Death' for their skills and the many commanding officers they went through.

Much more quietly Asuka Langley joined their ranks, developing into a solid leader of men. She worked alongside pilots like Hunter and Fokker, her steady hand helping keep other pilots alive amid the battles across the solar system.

The battle of Saturn's rings.. the Mars raid for supplies.. their trip had been almost a constant battle, one costing them much. The worst battle so far had been breaking through the Zentradi screening force around Earth, using the SDF-1's main guns and a fighter wave to burst through the enemy cruisers and battlepods.

A lot of ranking pilots had died that day, wings broken, among them Roy Fokker. Asuka Langley was bumped up to Lieutenant, even as Ikari and Ayanami in Skull One were put under her command. It was intended as a temporary measure, Asuka wasn't senior enough for it, but remarkably it worked well. Except for a temporary diversion to move Asuka to being a test pilot she had stayed with her wingmates.

However their splashdown to Earth hadn't been met with celebration. Earth command had declared the residents of Macross dead, and refused to reverse that decision. Even worse they felt that the SDF-1 should have remained in space as a stalking horse for the Zentradi... Combine all that with the recent barrier explosion and things didn't look good.

There was a chime from her door and Misato called, "Enter."

The black haired, slightly scruffy man who walked in really shouldn't have surprised Misato, she knew that he had left the ship not long ago, but he still did. Kaji managed to make the RDF uniform look rumpled as he saluted, "Good to see you, Captain."

"Back at headquarters again?" Misato inquired, looking with some dread at the paperwork he carried, having a very good idea what was in them. She ignored the discomfort she felt with him, the shadow of their affair hanging in the air between them.

"I was attached to the UE observers," Kaji reminded her, "I only assisted with fighter command because of lack of personnel."

"And now you're running errands for headquarters," Misato noted.

"We serve where we can," Kaji answered. He extended the packet of papers even as he quietly murmured,. "Sorry."

"Let command know that I'm accepting these orders under protest," Misato sighed, taking the packet from him. She opened the seals and read quickly, knowing almost exactly what they were going to say.

"The SDF-1 is hereby ordered to leave Earth-space," the crisp text read, "and engage the Zentradi forces away from civilian targets. All resources available will be provided, however civilians currently aboard the SDF-1 must stay aboard due to security concerns."

"Security concerns," Misato bit out, feeling a flash of anger.

Kaji met her eyes sympathetically, "If it helps any, the United Earth government is pretty divided on the issue." A grim smile, "If you can last long enough it's quite possible that the decision might be overturned."

"I intend to do everything I can to keep this ship and crew alive," Misato said firmly, shaking Kaji's hand before he left.

Kaji surprised her by pulling her into a hug, "Watch out for yourself."

Misato felt a hand slip down and squeeze her butt and she pushed him away firmly as she said, "Watch the hands." With a impish grin he slipped out, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the difficult duty that was ahead of her, telling ship and crew they were going into exile.

Meanwhile in another part of the ship a line up of young women waited nervously, talking among themselves. Mirya raised a eyebrow as she asked, "What are you doing here again?"

Minmei smiled, shifting nervously in the party dress she wore as she said, "This is where I apply to enter the Miss Macross pageant."

"And what am I doing here?" Mirya pressed on. Her simple clothes made her stand out, as did her fierce attitude to anyone who might think to trouble her younger charge.

"You're my bodyguard," Minmei shrugged.

"Gee, thanks," Mirya sighed.

Minmei chuckled softly, holding her arm as she studied the line, taking in the competition as well as looking for any familiar faces. Surprisingly she recognized a bridge officer, a boyish young woman who stood with a tall blonde.

"Do I have to do this?" Maya asked with a sigh, running her hand through her short brown hair, her uniform crisply starched

"Sorry love," Ritsuko smiled down at her girlfriend gently, "but the Captain wanted someone from the bridge in the contest."

"You could always enter," Maya murmured, "you're beautiful."

Ritsuko blushed faintly, gently squeezing Maya's hand. "You're a charmer," she murmured, "but you know I'm too old."

"Never to me," Maya murmured, looking up to meet her eyes.

From their spot in line Minmei murmured, "How romantic." Hearing no response from Mirya she looked up, seeing the flushed cheeks of the other woman. "Are you all right?" she asked worriedly, squeezing Mirya's hand.

"Just a bit surprised," Mirya conceded. This ship and it's people baffled her, yet the occasional familiarity confused her more. Watching those two had reminded her of the all female ships she had served on before, of the closeness that developed between officers you admired...

"I see you're here too," the amused voice said. Mirya and Minmei turned to see Asuka Langley dressed casually, and standing beside her, quite surprisingly, was Rei Ayanami wearing a lovely sort of party dress, white cloth setting off her red eyes and blue hair.

"You're entering the pageant too, Rei?" Minmei asked, feeling just a little nervous. She knew she was a good singer and cute, but Rei had a unearthly sort of attractiveness to her that would be hard to compete with.

"Don't worry," Rei said to her calmly, "unless they allow us to bring in a Evangelion I will lose in the talent portion."

Mirya look over at Minmei innocently, "Would they allow that?"

"I doubt it," Minmei giggled.

"There you go," Asuka shrugged.. She smiled as she surveyed the crowd of girls, "You shouldn't have too much trouble, Minmei."

"Thank you," Minmei blushed.

Mirya blinked, feeling a sudden emotion... of jealousy?

To be continued...


	20. Chapter 20

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Twenty

"What are they doing, Exedore?" Breetai mused, metal gleaming off the giant's faceplate. Together the Zentradi watched as supply ships went back and forth to the SDF-1, even as various images from this planet's broadcasts flickered on various screens.

"They appear to be readying to leave," Exedore said calmly, the smaller Zentradi looking up to meet his gaze.

"Which is insane," Breetai shook his head, "especially considering what it likely cost them in mecha and troops to get here."

Exedore smiled faintly as he reminded his commander, "We are often given orders by the Masters which don't make sense at the time." A faint shrug, "It could be that these micronians have their own version of the masters."

"Hmm," Breetai made a non-committal sound from the back of his throat. Tapping his finder restlessly he asked, "Have you made any progress with the broadcasts?"

"Some, sir," Exedore conceded, "we've accessed several battle records, a number of which are quite disturbing."

Several films came up on various screens, including martial arts pictures, and in most the micronians depicted used energy as casually as a hand weapon. Breetai frowned as he asked, "Is this the effects of Protoculture?"

With a grim smile Exedore said, "Unknown, sir. Nor can I say why they have not used such skills in battle."

"It would explain that devastating force wave attack they hit us with," Breetai murmured thoughtfully, unknowingly referring to the barrier system overload. With a possibly grimmer look he added, "And what of Khyron?"

"Still in custody after his last unauthorized attack on the SDF-1," Exedore replied.

"Do they still call him the Backstabber?" Breetai asked bleakly.

"Indeed," Exedore nodded. "What would you like to do with him?"

"We need to understand this mysterious power of theirs better, Exedore," Breetai mused. With a frown he finally said, "Release Khyron from the brig and restore his troops to full strength. He is leading the next assault."

"Is that wise sir?" Exedore dared to ask even as the crew raced to work.

"No," Breetai answered, "but it may give us a better gauge of their strength." A pause, "As well as eliminating Khyron, hopefully."

"I'll see to it," Exedore bowed.

Breetai turned back to the screen, gazing out at Zor's ship to hide any signs of his own confusion. He had battled against this ship for months but he felt no closer to understanding the enigmatic beings who crewed it. The only thing he did know was that they had earned his respect... that ship and it's valiant captain that he so looked forward to meeting.

On the bridge of the SDF-1, Misato sneezed suddenly. "Excuse me," she said, sitting slouched in her captain's chair as usual.

"Are you coming down with a cold?" Maya asked, her short, boyishly styled brown hair falling into her eyes.

"No," Misato pulled her cap down over black hair.

"Then maybe somebody's talking about you," Ritsuko offered, the blonde typing away at one of the bridge stations.

"Maybe," Misato grunted.

All around them the bridge was busy, young men and women working away. Bridge panels were open as modifications were made, supplies were being tallied and the ongoing preparations for departure continued. Despite the wind outside the ship barely rocked with the waves, internal systems holding it steady as a rock.

"Maya, did you enter the pageant yet?" Misato asked.

"Yes," Maya sighed, "but I was hoping you'd change your mind."

Misato chuckled, "Well, at least you're not the only RDF officer in the pageant."

"I was a bit surprised by it being Rei Ayanami," Ritsuko calmly noted, "she just doesn't seem the type, somehow."

"My understanding is that the female pilots drew straws to decide,' Makoto said from where the young man was working with a few of the bridge bunnies.

"That, I can believe," Maya agreed.

Still slouched with her cap concealing her eyes Misato said, "I want two other events factored into the pageant. We'll need to clear it with the shows producers, but I don't see there being any insurmountable problems."

"Yes?" Ritsuko asked.

With a sigh Misato said, "Right after the pageant is when we make the announcement that we're leaving Earth." She smiled grimly, "I figure that everyone will be in the best mood they're going to get at that point."

"Makes sense," Maya nodded thoughtfully, "and what's the other thing, ma'am?"

"I'm going to marry you two on live TV," Misato said simply.

There was silence for a beat then both Maya and Ritsuko blurted, "What!"

Misato pushed her cap up to reveal faintly amused eyes as she murmured, "I knew you were going to say that."

"But why..?" Ritsuko blinked.

Misato calmly said, "You two were already planning something big, not to mention how many crew would want to attend."

"But not this big," Maya said faintly.

Ritsuko steadied her gently, "You all right?"

"Just surprised, sempai," Maya murmured.

"After I announce that the civilians can't leave they're going to look at the RDF as monsters," Misato sat up, pushing her cap back, "even with Maya and Rei competing. The wedding will at least remind people that we're human beings too, and hopefully prevent anything rash."

"Way to lay the guilt on, Captain," Ritsuko put a bitter bite into the final word.

"I won't make you do this," Misato said mildly, "I have no right to order you to." Her voice hardened, "But by damned I will do everything in my power to make sure this ship stays a functioning entity until I ca get everyone home."

"Again," Makoto added with a sigh.

Maya was surprised at the silent appeal in Misato's eyes, then turned to meet Ritsuko's torn gaze. Taking a deep breath she said, "Give us some time to think about it, please. This is a big step up from borrowing the mess hall and getting married there."

"Fair enough," Misato nodded. Choosing to change the subject she asked, "Have the volunteer replacement pilots we asked for come aboard?"

"I believe the last group should be coming aboard today," Maya said with relief, consulting a schedule on her workstation.

"Good," Misato flashed a grin, "I want the new pilots settling down with their wings as quickly as possible. We may need them soon enough."

Out on the flight deck a group of officers left the transport, walking into the opening where some of the Evangelion aircraft would launch. Standing out in the crowd was a tall, black haired young man with an oddly serene manner to him. He paused, looking up into the blue sky...

"Yo, Kyle!" a fellow pilot called.

"Coming," Lynn Kyle, cousin to Lynn Minmei, hurried to rejoin his fellows, following them into the SDF-1 and his new home.

To be continued...


	21. Chapter 21

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Twenty-one

Hikaru Horaki raced through the fireball of a exploding enemy craft, guns blazing as her wingmen followed her in. "Aida, cover left," she ordered them, "Kyle to the right!"

"Aye aye," Lynn Kyle answered crisply, Aida silently obeying as they accelerated towards the waves of enemy fighters and cruisers. The ships had appeared on scanners descending from the Zentradi fleet in orbit, the few space defenses that Earth had barely slowing them down. In response the SDF-1 had launched all of the on-duty fighter teams and was holding other volunteers in reserve, just in case things got nasty.

'I hope this guy is as good as he seems,' Hikaru found herself thinking as the wings of Evangelion fighters peeled off to their assigned positions. Kyle had only just been assigned to the ship yesterday, for gods sake, but they needed Toji's spot filled... Her heart lurched in her chest as she thought of Toji, then she ruthlessly pushed it away.

Aida launched missiles, picking off another battlepod as they raced forward to intercept a group of enemy forces. "I don't see the enemy Angels," he reported, shifting his fighter to EVA mode, a humanoid robot with a dangerous looking cannon.

"There are officers pods though," Kyle warned, the young man following Aida's lead, "we'd better be careful."

"Those are words to the wise, boys," Hikari grimly agreed, the three of them laying down streams of high velocity fire as they bobbed and weaved through enemy attacks even as she watched Kyle fighting thoughtfully.

Kyle battled the enemy with precision rather than force, pumping out just enough of his precious fire power into each foe, yet seemingly aware of the whole battle around him. With just small bursts of thrust he dodged all enemy attacks without bothering his aim, cutting down the pods with almost frightening ease.

"I'll be damned," Aida murmured over the radio to her privately, "he is good."

"He'd better be," Hikari growled as she saw another wave, "incoming!"

Then, off in the distance they saw a disturbance in the enemy ranks, a rapidly spreading wave of fireballing craft as something tore through them ruthlessly. Then they reached them, three familiar fighters: Skull One, Asuka's Red and Shinji's Blue trimmed planes, the fighter pilots who had come to be known as the Angels of Death.

"Holy crap," Kyle murmured in awe as they swept by him, only leaving the flaming wrecks of dead battlepods in their wake.

Across the way, following the fighter wings in his officer's pod Khyron the backstabber smiled ferally as they drove forward towards the enemy. The Micronians were fierce, worthy foes for the glorious Zentradi armada, and he was looking forward to the coming battle.

"Lord Breetai is hailing you," Khyron heard his lieutenant repeat it tentatively and the commander grit his teeth.

Keeping his tone falsely pleasant Khyron smiled as the familiar face appeared on his viewscreen, "Yes, m'lord?"

Neither of them were fooled by their good manners, of course. Khyron knew that Breetai wanted him dead, even as Breetai was well aware that the younger man was ambitious, dreaming of taking his role. Ideally by striding over his still warm corpse, of course.

"The enemy's aces have joined combat," Breetai informed him, "as we expected. Destroy them, Khyron, for the glory of the Zentradi."

"Of course," Khyron smiled, bowing exageratedly in his seat.

"Follow the plan, Khyron," Breetai warned him coldly, the light shining ominously off of his metallic cowl, "you would not want to see the consequences if you don't."

"Yes," Khyron snarled then cut the connection.

"M'lord?" his lieutenant asked warily from his nearby battlepod.

"Deploy the pods to screen the cruiser as we discussed," Khyron bit out. Connecting to the cruisers he gave the order, "Best speed to Zor's fortress, we're going to ram them."

"Aye, lord," the pilot gave him a mad grin.

'He's not wound too tight,' Khyron noted with amusement, though in truth much of his attacking force was similar. Breetai used his unit for disposing of those officers that.. shall we say were discipline problems? Still, Khyron found such rabble useful, for they feared little even the Angels of Death themselves.

As their pods raced towards fire and death Khyron smiled, "Today is a good day to die."

Maneuvering through the enemy ranks and cutting pods down left and right Asuka Langley was glad her helmet kept her orange hair out of her eyes or else the sweat would have plastered it to her face. 'Are they throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink today?' she thought irritably, squeezing the trigger to scrag another battlepod.

Her view screen lit up to reveal Maya Ibuki, staring out at her calmly from her place at the bridge. "The two cruisers are moving on a direct collision course with the SDF-1," she informed her calmly, "and there's too many of our own fighters out there to use the main gun."

"What about the Deadelus maneuver?" Asuka asked tersely, zipping through a exploding pod, shifting to EVA mode and hovering among them as she mowed down multiple pods. She was referring to using the ship mounted as a 'arm' of the SDF-1 and ramming it into a enemy craft before unleashing a wave of missiles.

"We'll use it if needed," Maya said, "but stop them if you can."

"Understood," Asuka nodded then shifted over to communication between fighters, "Rei, Shinji, form up on me."

The two fighters slid into place beside her, then Asuka's view screen lit up. "How do we reach the cruisers quickly enough through the fighter screen?" Rei asked calmly, yet her eyes showed tenderness as she gazed at Asuka.

Shinji came on, the black haired young man smiling grimly. "I can get some pilots together and plow the road," he offered, "I know Hikari and her team are out here."

"There's an officer pod out there," Asuka cautioned him, "can you handle him while we disable the cruiser?"

Shinji gave her a look, "Of course."

Asuka flashed a grin, "Good luck."

Shinji smoothly peeled off, forming up a wedge with Hikari and several other wings, the group racing forward to tear into the screen of battlepods, burning a hole in their ranks. Asuka and Rei darted forward to the cruisers, dodging and weaving through tracer fire till they reached the bumpy green surface of the vessels.

Sensor ports, weapons, critical vents all fell to the twin pilots' guns, the skin of the ships dancing with explosions. They darted away from the vessels then swung around, flights of missiles soaring in to the less armored and vulnerable engines, more explosions blossoming there. Reactors went as energy backlashed, explosions growing within each vessel, then they each went up in a blast of light and fire.

"No!" Khyron cried out his fury, racing forward with the officers' pod heavy arm cannons coming up to blast at the two of them. He snarled rage as they danced away from his shots, moving like some phantom across the blue skies, their own weapons unable to penetrate his armor. Then, luckily, a shot landed.

"Damn it!" Asuka growled as her Evangelion spun, gyroscopes off line and her stomach heaving. Quickly she trigged the transformation, the EVA mode stabilizing the plane's systems as boot thrusters slowed her fall.

With an inarticulate cry Rei raced in, the blue haired girl's red eyes glowing like some kind of demon as she attacked. Using a unearthly speed she zipped around him peppering the pod with fire, dodging in and out as Khyron helplessly tried to strike back.

Tasting blood in her mouth Asuka followed her in, using her fellow pilot as a distraction. Slipping underneath the flying pod she opened up at the junction where the main pod met the leg units, emptying a chain of high density slugs there. The pod jerked wildly, the armor stressed to it's limits, then she finally broke through.

BOOM!

"Are you all right?" Rei demanded as she swiftly flew to Asuka's side.

"Banged up and I bit the inside of my mouth," Asuka confessed, "but yeah, I'm fine."

The remaining pods swiftly broke off, the scattered survivors racing back to the safety of their fleet. The Evangelion pilots were too tired to chase after them, feeling satisfied that they had broken off the attempt to attack the ship.

"Hey, I thought I was supposed to get the officer's pod," Shinji gently complained as he returned to the wing.

"We'll let you have it next time," Rei said deadpan.

To be continued...


	22. Chapter 22

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Twenty-two

"Kyle!" Minmei squealed, the black haired girl throwing her arms around the pilot happily as the Little White Dragon restaurant roared to a stop. In moments all his relations were gathered around him, chattering happily as the tall young man tried to calm them down.

"Well isn't this interesting," Aida pushed his glasses up, blonde hair still slightly messy from their recent efforts defending the ship.

Hikaru nodded, her brown hair tied back as usual. "We knew he had family aboard, that's what he told us he transferred aboard this madhouse for," she said tersely.

"I'm sorry," Minmei's Aunt said after a few moments to Aida, "it's just been so long since we've seen our son." She gave them a searching look, "You two are his wingmen, now?"

"Yes ma'am," Aida nodded.

"Then you eat free tonight," she smiled as she waved them over to a table where Lynn and Minmei were chattering eagerly.

"That's not necessary..." Hikaru started.

"Just keep him safe," Kyle's mother added softly.

At the table Minmei was smiling at him, but her expression was deeply confused. "The last time I saw you, you were a pacifist," she blinked, "how did you become a pilot?"

"It's not that complicated," Kyle admitted. He looked off in the distance, "When I thought my parents and you had died with Macross city I was stunned... and began to reexamine my life."

"I find it hard to believe he was a peacenik," Aida whispered to Hikaru.

"Shhh!" Hikaru hushed him softly.

Kyle smiled wryly, "The quest for inner peace and tranquillity kind of looks silly when a alien invasion is coming. After a LOT of internal debate I enlisted, intending to be a medic or something, but I quickly discovered I liked the military life and became a pilot."

"Either way I'm glad you're here," Minmei sighed happily.

Suddenly a slew of heavily loaded plates were set down, much larger than the normal portions the already generous restaurant served. "Eat up," the older woman smiled cheerfully, "there's seconds if you want them!"

"Wow," Hikaru murmured, "we're coming in here with Kyle all the time."

"Yeah," Aida agreed as they dug in.

Miriya watched from a safe distance, feeling that odd sort of confusion once again. The green haired young woman had been studying these micronians as covertly as possible, trying to understand them, but more often than not she was just confused.

Suddenly Minmei waved her over, "Miriya!"

Cursing her hesitation Miriya strode over, her clothes as clean and well starched as any military uniform. "I didn't want to interrupt," she told her friend calmly.

"It's all right," Minmei smiled, "Kyle, I'd like you to meet Miriya."

Kyle rose, taking her hand and shaking it politely, a faintly thoughtful look in his eyes. "I'm honored," he smiled charmingly.

Miriya felt a blush on her cheeks, but she couldn't quite explain why. "Nice to meet you," she said, trying to get her hand free.

Up in the part of the ship that was commonly referred to as 'Officer's country' two figures lay on the bed, snuggling close to one another. "We're going to have to get up soon," Maya murmured, looking up at her lover's face fondly.

"We're not on shift for a few hours," Ritsuko sighed as she gently tightened her arms around Maya, "and thankfully the rehearsals for the pageant don't begin till tomorrow."

"Gah," Maya made a soft sound and Ritsuko chuckled softly.

"Have you decided to wear a dress or your uniform?" Ritsuko asked softly, stroking Maya's shoulder softly.

"Uniform," Maya said firmly, "I'm not the dress type."

Ritsuko grinned, "I can't wait until the swimsuit competition."

"Pervert," Maya groaned.

"I'm certainly a dirty old lady where you're concerned," Ritsuko agreed, seemingly unbothered by the idea.

"You're not old to me," and Maya kissed her gently. They cuddled close for a few moments, "What do you think of the Captain's idea?"

"Marrying us in the pageant?" Ritsuko sighed. She looked up at the roof, eyes troubled, "I wonder if Misato has thought through all the angles?"

"Probably," Maya smiled with amusement, "it's good for morale, it'll balance out the announcement we're leaving Earth and it'll be a poke in the eye to command, too."

"They are still officially using a policy of 'Don't ask, don't tell,' aren't they?" Ritsuko looked honestly amused. "But do you want to go through with it?" she pressed.

"It's bigger than anything I expected us to do," Maya admitted. She smiled slightly, "But I couldn't be prouder to let everyone on the crew know I love you."

Ritsuko kissed her suddenly, wrapping her arms around Maya. "Me, too."

After a few moment's they separated, curled up together. "Of course," Maya said breathlessly, "I guess this makes my coming out to my parents a bit more urgent."

"They don't know?" Ritsuko blinked.

"I figure they have a good idea," Maya's eyes danced with amusement, "but no, I've never actually told them."

"If you need any moral support," Ritsuko offered gently.

"Please," Maya laughed.

Down on the 'arms' of the massive ship a casually dressed Asuka Langley watched closely as a team of technicians swarmed over her fighter, repairing systems and swapping out damaged parts. She had taken a bad hit in the last battle, losing several internal systems and only by going to EVA mode had she been able to recover.

"It was a close one, wasn't it?" the quiet voice said.

Asuka jerked in surprise as she recognized the back haired woman who had come up on her so quietly. "Yes, ma'am." Asuka saluted the captain crisply.

"At ease," Misato waved it off, "I know you're off duty." She was in uniform, the blue and gold shining as she watched the techs at work. "I just came down to take a look," she added softly.

Asuka relaxed a bit, but not too much. The Captain was known to take occasional walks through the ship, one assumed to keep herself familiar with what was going on aboard the SDF-1, but this was the first time Asuka had actually met her on one of those trips.

"Your wing," Misato said softly, "is doing remarkably well. I assume you know, but I just wanted to say it."

"Thank you, ma'am," Asuka nodded.

"I've had some requests to break you up," Misato added, "put Shinji and Ayanami in command of their own squads."

Asuka hesitated, "That may not be such a good idea."

"Hmm?' Misato looked curious.

"They're both very good at what they do," Asuka searched for the right words, "but they don't seem to be able to ease up enough for others to keep up with 'em. I don't know what would happen if you put rookies under their command, but I doubt it'd be good."

"Pretty much my thought," Misato agreed, "don't worry, we're keeping you together."

"Thank you," Asuka smiled in relief.

To be continued...


	23. Chapter 23

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Twenty-three

"Are you nervous?" Asuka asked softly as she sat in the dressing room, watching her lover change from her uniform into a off-white dress. The orange haired young woman was still in her flight suit, her pose relaxed but aware as she sat in one of the few chairs.

"A bit," Rei admitted, adjusting her dress, her red eyes looking mildly amused, her light blue hair falling around her face. "I've practiced my preformance," she added, "but this is my first time playing in public."

"One of these days I'm going to get the captain for insisting a pilot enter," Asuka growled under her breath.

"We drew straws, it was as fair as possible," Rei noted.

"Since the cap'n was the one holding the straws," Asuka drawled, "I wouldn'y be surprised if she did rig it."

On the bridge, Captain Misato Katsuragi sneezed suddenly, jerking up from where she was napping. Looking around in confusion the dark haired woman shrugged then pulled her cap down over her eyes again as she wet back to her nap.

"Doesn't matter now," Rei noted as she pulled on stockings, very aware of Asuka's hungry gaze on her legs.

Asuka looked away, blushing. "At least things have quieted down after that last big push," she noted, "hopefully we won't see any big enemy action until after the pageant."

"Hopefully," Rei slipped her shoes on and stood. Spining carefully in her heels she asked, "How do I look?"

Clearing her throat nervously Asuka answered huskily, "You're beautiful."

Eyes twinkling with delight Rei answered, "I'm glad." She moved forward and bentv a bit to kiss Asuka lingeringly a moment. Pulling back she smiled wryly and murmured, "Glad I didn't have my makeup on yet."

Blushing Asuka vowed, "You don't need it."

In another section of the stadium in Macross city a faintly blushing Miriya looked away as Min-Mei briskly stripped off her waitress outfit, smoothly tossing it over into a corner. Then she pulled her bra and panties off and Miriya felt her pulse begin to race as she tried not to notice the slim body standing before her.

'What's wrong with me?' Mirya silently mused. She had seen her fellow warriors naked before, there was nothing unusual in all of this... yet somehow it was different with Min-Mei standing there. Maybe it was the kindness Min-Mei showed Miriya unconsciously, without thinking about it for every moment of the day. Whatever it was it made Miriya tingle a little as she tried to gaze at Min-Mei as covertly as possible.

"Thanks for coming," Min-Mei seemed oblivious to any effect her nakedness was causing as she took the pale pink party dress from where it sat by Miriya, "I thought about asking Shinji to come, but I thought the poor boy'd have a heart attack."

"Hmm," Miriya tried very hard not to look at Min-Mei's small yet bouncy breasts as she grunted her agreement.

Slipping a fresh pair of pink panties on Min-Mei fumbled with her bra strap before asking softly, "Miriya?"

Gulping softly Miriya rose, her nose twitched at Min-Mei's faint scent. With not too steady hands the green haired young woman clipped the bra, thankful that Min-Mei had showed her how to put something like this on. "Is that all right?" she asked softly.

"Thank you," Min-Mei smiled sunnily, turning to pull the readied party dress on. It seemed to float down her body to settle into place, swirling around her body like water. "How did the dress turn out?' she asled Miriya anxiously.

"You look," Miriya gulped, "beautiful."

"Thank you," and Min-Mei leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

'I should be concentrating on my task, defeating the Micronian who bested me,' Miriya mused dazedly as her companion quickly returned to her preperations, 'so why am I so caught up in these micronians lives?'

Ritsuko Akagi strode up the hall to the door, the tall blonde pausing as she heard her lover's voice raised slightly. "Yes Mother I know I should have told you," Maya Ibuki said tiredly, "but I wasn't seeing someone until recently..."

"Hi," Ritsuko quietly greeted her lover as the dark haired woman paced the room, taking a seat and listening curiously.

Maya waved as the younger woman in dress uniform continued to talk, "No, Mother, this isn't just a temporary thing."

"Telling the parents?" Ritsuko said sympathetically. When Maya nodded she continued, "How's it going?"

Making a undecided hand gesture Maya continued, "This is a very important relationship to me." She took a deep breath and continued, "In fact that's part of why I called now... Ritsuko and I are getting married."

The shriek was loud enough that even Ritsuko could hear it, and Maya jerked the phone away from her ear. "Are you...?" Ritsuko moved towards her and waved her off.

"What was that Mom?' Maya asked, blinking in surprise. Her cheeks colored, "We haven't really thought about that yet... uh huh, uh huh... all right, I'm sure the Captain can arrange for you to be here. See you soon."

As Maya hung up Ritsuko asked, "What happened?"

"That wasn't quite what I expected," Maya shook her head. "Apparently Mom's known about me for years..."

"I noticed you almost as soon as you came aboard," Ritsuko noted with a seductive smile, "So I'm not surprised."

Maya blushed. "Anyway," she said, "she was disapointed I hadn't told her sooner, but was pretty happy when I told her about the wedding."

"I heard," Ritsuko said wryly. She looked at Maya curiously, "What was it she asked that made you blush that way?"

"I hoped you hadn't seen that," Maya muttered. She met Ritsuko's eyes and said, "She was wondering when we'd be giving her grandchildren."

Ritsuko's mouth dropped open but not a word came out.

Maya smiled, eyes twinkling merrily as she said, "Don't worry, I just told her we hadn't talked about it yet."

"No, we haven't," Ritsuko admitted as she sat down with a thump. Looking up at Maya she smiled slightly, "You know, I think you'd be a good mother."

"Oh no," Maya quickly shook her head, "I heard too many unpleasant baby stories from Mom." Her tone softened, "Besides, I'd rather have a daughter or son that looked like you."

"Charmer," Ritsuko chuckled. She squeezed Maya's hand, "We can talk about it later, too."

Clearly amused Maya continued, "Better get ready for the parental grilling, myt Mom and Dad have promised to be here for the wedding."

"We'd better have Misato arrange for a pilot to bring them in," Ritsuko muttered, looking faintly worried.

"Nervous?' Maya asked after a moment.

"It's not often I get asked to meet the parents," Ritsuko confessed. "What if I make a bad impression?" she fretted.

"Trust me," Maya took her hands, "you have nothing to worry about."

"I suppose so," Ritsuko shook herself. "And here I was intending to support you today..."

"It's all right," Maya chuckled.

Hugging Maya comfortingly she quietly asked her, "Have you decided what to do for the talent portion?"

"Dust off my rusty piano skills," Maya shrugged, "and hope I don't embarass myself too much."

"You should wear a tuxedo," Ritsuko smirked, "you look so handsome in a suit you'd win any female judge's point."

"Sempai!" Maya scolded with a blush.

To be continued...


	24. Chapter 24

Evangelion meets Robotech

"Exedore," Breetai said as the giant Zentradi lounged in his command chair, "I hope you have good news. Dolza grows impatient."

The smaller, deformed Zentradi bowed to him respectfully. "Indeed Lord Breetai," Exedore answered, "I believe that we have successfully cracked the language barrier between us and the Micronians."

Breetai stood, smiling slightly. "Good," he said, "maybe we can begin to anticipate our enemy's moves."

"We are still trying to understand all of their odd behaviors," Exedore cautioned, "but studying their broadcasts we have assembled a partial report."

"Hmm." Breetai nodded.

Activating a monitor Exedore began, "Zor's ship crashed to their planet's surface decades ago, ending a period of global warfare. They turned from destroying one another to rebuilding the vessel as well as preparing for the arrival of someone like us."

"Those transformable fighting craft," Breetai realized, "they were intended to let the Micronians match us in size and power."

"Indeed," Exedore agreed. He brought up another image of the SDF-1, "They call this the Super Dimensional Fortress, I believe in reference to the Fold ability, and the number indicates their hope of building more," he said.

"They can't... can they?" Breetai asked with some concern.

"I don't know," Exedore admitted, "we Zentradi would not have been able to attempt a repair of Zor's ship... they clearly have. They have also apparently either altered the design or unlocked capabilities within it that we were unaware of."

"High Command, and especially Dolza, must not learn of this," Breetai rumbled after a moment. "If they believe these Micronians to be capable of that he will burn their world clean as a threat to our kind... and the Masters."

"I won't be passing the report on," Exedore agreed. He activated a viewscreen, "We've also stumbled across a disturbing image."

"Two Micronians, and one has longer hair and," Breetai frowned upon taking a closer look, "chest deformation?"

"They call that one a female," Exedore said, "now, watch this."

Pressing a button Exedore cued the image to start, and a oddly disturbing sound filled the chamber as the two beings on the screen moved closer together. "What is that horrid sound?" Breetai demanded irritably.

"I believe they call it music, sir," Exedore explained.

The two stood remarkably close, the deformed one looking up at the taller Micronian. Then they pressed even closer, the tall one brought his face close to the other then shockingly their lips were smushed together forcefully.

"Eugggh!" Breetai almost leapt out of his chair in revulsion, only his steely self control keeping him in his seat.

"Yes, my technitians reacted the same way," Exedore noted as he watched his leader fighting not to be ill.

"What are they DOING?" Breetai choked out.

"It's something called kissing, according to the data I accessed," Exedore said as he shut the images down.

"It's a devestating psycological weapon," Breetai muttered, forcibly getting his reactions under control once more.

Exedore nodded, "Strangely, according to the documentation the Micronians seem to find such activities pleasurable."

"Really," Breetai looked skeptical.

"There's an entire data stream on the SDF-1 devoted to such things," Exedore checked his notes, "a 4chan, I believe."

"We really are very different," Breetai admitted, gazing at the image of Zor's ship. 'What are you planning?' he mused, 'What is going through your mind, my worthy foe?'

"It's beer time," Captain Misato Katsuragi cheered, getting up from the center seat with a bounce to her step.

"You're not setting a good example, Misato," Commander Ritsuko Akagi said as the dyed blonde sat in the captain's seat.

"Oh really?" Misato leaned forward as the black haired woman said, "You're not really one to talk, Rits-chan."

"Oh?" Ritsuko raised a eyebrow.

"Another noise complaint from officer's quarters," a smirk grew as Misato continued, "a certain pair of women being too loud. Ring any bells?"

Ritsuko fought down a blush. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure," Misato patted her on the shoulder and slipped out the hatch with a laugh.

"I guess we'll need to see if we can get better soundproofing in our suite," Maya blushed, taking a break from pageant rehersals to be on the bridge.

"Oh yeah," Ritsuko agreed with a sigh.

Misato fought back a impish smile as she headed for the elevator. She had been saving that little zinger for just the right moment, and today was it. 'That felt good,' she thought as she hit the call button.

"Ma'am," Valerie Moreau nodded respectfully amid the small group of non-coms she was escorting with her usual skill.

"Any problems with the new batch?" Misato asked conversationally as they descended.

"No, ma'am," Val smiled.

"Good to know," Misato smiled as they fell. A few moments later she got off, pretending not to notice the relieved sighs of several of the younger people. 'Sometimes being captain is a bitch,' she sighed as she walked to her suite.

The smell of cooking food wafted by as Misato opened the door and she smiled as she swiftly followed the scent to the kitchen. "Welcome home," Kaji smiled from where he was making them stir fry.

"This makes a iffy day just perfect," Misato grinned as she kissed him. "When did you get back aboard?" she asked.

"Snuck on for a visit on a MP chopter," Kaji admitted. "Dinner will be ready in a bit and a beer's on the table."

"Sucking up like this won't make up for you being a jerk earlier," Misato warned as she went for her beer.

"I think what I have in mind for desert will, tho," Kaji said as he stirred dinner.

To be continued...


	25. Chapter 25

Evangelion Meets Robotech Twenty Four

"Welcome everyone," the host smiled charmingly, his tuxedo hugging a slim form, "my name is Kaworu Nagisa, and I'll be your host tonight! This is the night you've all been waiting for, the beginning of the Miss Macros Pageant!" A wink, "Don't we all love those men.. I mean, women in uniform?"

"He's quite flamboyant, isn't he?" Captain Misato Katsuragi noted from where she sat in the audience for the rehearsal. The officer was dressed in a casual black dress, her uniform coat over top and her black hair flowing over her shoulders.

"Put him in a dress, he could probably enter," Kaji wryly agreed, smoking a cigarette quite illegally in the theater.

"Oooh, bad mental image," Misato winced.

"Now, from Macross herself our first entry, Mana Kirishima!" Kaworu waved as the girl walked out from the sidelines.

A young lady with short red hair emerged, her dress a summer style number with light fabric that flowed around her. "Hello," she smiled shyly, "my name is Mana, I'm from Yokohama and transferred to Macross shortly before we all ended up here." A smile, "I'm a military test pilot, love to cook and hope to have children later in life."

"Everybody give a big cheer for Mana," Kaworu waved. "Mana," he smiled down at her, "are you seeing someone?"

"N... no," Mana blushed.

"Well you can trust me when I say you'll be snatched up after this," Kaworu winked as Mana retreated off stage..

"Poor kid," Ritsuko Akagi murmured from where the blonde officer sat on the other side of Misato.

"I'm surprised you're not back stage with Maya," Misato noted.

"Maya sent me out here," a blushing Ritsuko admitted, "she said my fussing around made her nervous."

"Can't blame her for that," Kaji conceded.

"Next up is the blonde bombshell of stage and screen," Kaworu gestured boldly as he cried, "Satsuki Ooi!"

Satsuki strode out confidently, her blonde hair bouncing down her back as she smiled and waved at the imaginary audience. "Hello Macross," Satsuki smiled sweetly, "I love to sing and dance, and look forward to entertaining you."

"Is it really fair to have a ringer like this in the contest?" Misato wondered.

Kaji shrugged casually, "Contest had to be open to everybody or there would have been complaints."

"So, what should we be looking forward to from you?" Kaworu asked leadingly.

"Just wait for the swimsuit contest," Satsuki winked, "I'll blow you away."

"She is such a slut," Ritsuko sighed as Satsuki scampered off stage.

"Rits-chan," Misato scolded teasingly.

"Too bad Ayanami couldn't be in this rehearsal," Kaji noted, "I'd love to see how she'd respond to THAT."

"She's a bit busy," Misato frowned.

On the bridge a remarkably nervous Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga sat in the captain's chair, his glasses gleaming as he watched the busy activity on the bridge. "Why did I get left in command?" he wondered aloud.

"Cause Misato knows you're reliable?" Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba said with a grin, the long brown haired man standing at the fighter ops station.

"Or she knows she can dump the job on you and won't complain," Kozo Fuyutsuki noted with dry amusement, the older man sitting in the second in command chair. While technically outranking both younger men he was a engineer and scientist, and was therefore not in the line of command.

"Sir," Motoko asked tentatively, "what's it like, working with Gendo?"

"Interesting," Fuyutsuki answered calmly.

Outside, a wave of Evangelion fighters soared by, the fighter patrols scouring the skies above the SDF-1. "Keep up, damn it," Asuka Langley said coldly as she radioed a lagging pilot, "dropping out of formation could get you killed."

"Understood, ma'am," a pilot stammered back.

"Go easy," Rei Ayanami said to her quietly on a private frequency, "he's barely gotten his wings."

Asuka sighed, "Right. I just don't think I'm the sort of person to help whip into shape these young pilots."

"Could be worse," Rei offered as the squads again preformed the training maneuver.

"How?" Asuka asked as she saw the one pilot fall behind again.

Rei grinned, "You could have just shot him."

"Trust me," Asuka grit her teeth, "I'm thinking about it." Raising her voice and switching to a public channel she roared, "Get in formation or the Zentradi won't HAVE to kill you, Ill do it MYSELF!"

"Yes ma'am," a chorus of terrified voices called back.

"Remind me not to piss her off," Shinji Ikari noted as she guided his own team of pilot trainees. He flew with his usual precision and grace, and even with him holding back the youngsters were barely keeping up.

"Do you think it's PMS?" a woman pilot offered nervously.

"No, she's like that all the time," Shinji grinned.

"I heard that," Asuka growled at him.

"Oops," Shinji sighed.

To be continued...

Notes: Mana Kirishima is from the Girlfriend of Steel game and Satsuki Ooi is a "bridge bunny" character from another Eva game.


	26. Chapter 26

Evangelion Meets Robotech Twenty Five

"Shinji! Shinji!" his father called as Gendo hurried down the hall, his white labcoat flapping as the tall, black haired man moved.

"Oh god," Shinji whimpered, the brown haired young man reluctantly waiting for his father to catch up. "Yes?' he turned, his military uniform as crisp as ever.

Gendo pushed up his glasses as he fixed Shinji with a glance, "What's this I hear about you dating two women at a time?"

"Ah," Shinji visibly winced, imagining that the rumors must be all over the ship by now to have finally reached his father. "Min-Mei's friend Miryia has just been hanging around us..." he started to explain.

"I knew it," Gendo cut him off with a forceful slap to his shoulder. His eyes streamed tears suddenly, "I'm sure your mother in heaven is proud that she has a sun manly enough to satisfy two women!"

"Dad!" Shinji blushed.

Suddenly regaining his composure Gendo nodded seriously to his son. "You must bring the girls over so I can meet them," he said to Shinji with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, "we need to be sure their suitable."

Shinji sweatdropped, "Right."

"Come by the lab," Gendo added as he strode off down the corridor, "I have a new fighter type for you to test out!"

"When hell freezes over," Shinji muttered as he hurried off down the hall, glad that he was off shift at last. Training young pilots was murder, especially doing it with Rei and Asuka heading up their own training flights. Thankfully today was quieter, though Rei and Min-Mei were both caught up with all the rehearsals for the pageant.

The city contained within the belly of the SDF-1 was as busy as ever, people rushing about as they tried to maintain something resembling a normal life. Following a familiar route down crowded streets Shinji arrived in the Chinatown like area where a familiar green haired lady waited for him.

"Shinji," Miryia nodded a greeting, dressed in her usual long pants and simple, almost military styled top.

"Sorry I'm still in uniform," Shinji apologized as they fell into step, "I didn't have enough time to change before getting here."

"It's all right," Miryia smiled back slightly, "I'm more comfortable with you in that sort of dress anyway."

"Ah," Shinji nodded, moving aside to dodge a mother and her children.

"Small Micronians..." Miryia murmured, shaking her head as a faint shudder ran through her form.

"I hope we're in time to hear Min-Mei's song," Shinji frowned, apparently not noticing the woman's reaction to the children.

"Shinji..." Miryia started while they made their way down the street.

Shinji looked over at her curiously, "Yes?"

"You and Min-Mei," Miryia said quietly, "you're a couple, yes?"

Shinji blushed, then nervously scratched at his chin. "Well," he said a bit uncomfortably, "we're working on it."

"And you've," Miryia made herself ask, "kissed?"

"Yeah," Shinji answered, wondering where she was going with this.

"What's it like?"

Shinji looked over at her in surprise, "You don't know?"

Miryia realized she had asked the wrong sort of question and quickly fell back on her normal cover story. "I don't remember," she answered a bit crossly.

"I'm sorry," Shinji said as they reached the busy theater where the rehearsals were going on. He and Miryia both showed their visitor passes and were ushered in by the tall, grim man guarding the door.

"It's all right," Miryia said a bit stiffly. A bit more gently she said, "It's just, everyone else seems to know about it while I don't."

"That's got to be tough," Shinji agreed. They navigated through the hall to the inner theater, where rows of seats waited around the busy stage. The over the top announcer Kaworu Nagisa blathered on, but neither of them were listening as they made their way to a seat.

Miryia gave Shinji a speculative look as she sat down, "I don't suppose you could show me the kiss?"

Shinji nearly choked on that idea. "Not a good idea," he coughed, "especially if Min-Mei caught us at it."

"Huh?" Miryia looked confused.

"Long story," Shinji sighed.

Miryia was going to press him for more details when she was distracted by what was going on down on stage. A blonde haired woman strode out dressed in a uniform that Miryia didn't recognize, two pieces of cloth that barely held in her breasts and concealed her sex.

"What is THAT?" Miryia demanded, shocked by the sudden pounding of her heart.

"The swimsuit competition," Shinji answered mildly. She looked over, a bit surprised to see how pale she was. "Do you have a nosebleed?"

"I'm fine," Miryia quickly mopped up the blood. 'What is wrong with me?' she wondered as she tried to reign in her rapidly beating heart.

"And now," Kaworu waved grandly, "Lynn Min-Mei!"

With some relief Miryia saw that she was dressed in something more modest, but the simple one piece still clung to her body as the black haired girl strode from the side to stand center stage, turning so that everyone could see her from all angles.

"She's beautiful," Miryia found herself saying almost unwillingly.

"That she is," Shinji agreed.

"All right," Kaworu said briskly, "on to the musical numbers! Mana, you're up first!"

Miryia sat forward in her chair, listening in obvious contentment. While viewing kissing had caused strange, violent emotions to rise within her, music was different. It seemed to reach out to something sleeping within her, touching a part of herself that she had never been aware of.

"Here she comes," Shinji said as the first few songs ended.

Min-Mei took center stage as if she owned it, singing "My Boyfriend is a Pilot" with heart and passion. Miryia felt tears tease the corners of her eyes as she listened, and her heart soared in her chest. All too soon her song ended, but it's echoes sang within Miryia for many minutes afterward.

"Incredible," Miryia puffed out happily.

"That she is," Shinji agreed, clearly not nearly as touched by her song as Miryia had been. He smiled, "I have to wait till Rei performs, to show solidarity with my wingman, but do you want to go see Min-Mei back stage?"

Miryia hesitated only a second, "Thank you Shinji."

"No problem," Shinji smiled, "tell her she was great for me."

"Will do," Miryia nodded as she strode off confidently.

To be continued...


	27. Chapter 27

Evangelion meets Robotech

On board the ships of Breetai's fleet, something began to change. The soldiers monitoring the SDF-1 heard the strange thing Micronians called music, and were moved by it. Carefully, secretly, they copied the recordings to show to others, who then passed them on as well. Unseen and silently like a disease, it spread throughout the ships... with a few notable exceptions.

"What is this?" Quamzin demanded, the slim Zentradi looking violently ill as he shut down the recording device he had taken from a officer under his command.

"It's something Micronians call music," the grovelling man managed.

"Fool," Quamzin easily crushed the recording in his hand, "it's clearly a weapon, designed to weaken us."

"But..." he started.

Smoothly drawing his pistol Quamzin aimed and fired with cold relentlessness, sending the warrior crashing to the floor and splattering blood on the bulkhead. Putting his pistol away he coldly called out, "Someone clean that up."

As his soldiers rushed in to clean up the mess Quamzin stalked back to the captain's chair even as Breetai dronned on in the background. "As of now," the silver helmed firgure said gravely, "all communications with the main fleet are forbidden, until we more fully understand the effects of this Micronian music."

"So," Quamzin wondered aloud, "do you think it's a weapon too?"

"I don't know," Breetai acknowledged, "but it clearly has done something to the officers who were exposed to it."

"So what steps can we take to preserve our crews?" another captain asked over the communications link, Quamzin's eyes landing a moment on the bloody smear that marked his own fallen officer.

"Contain them away from other soldiers for now," Breetai ordered.

'Fool,' Quamzin mused, 'your ship will be contaminated before you know it. Harsh action is required to stop this.'

"Also, do not listen to the music yourself," Breetai added, "it might dangerously change your ability to reason in combat."

'Really?' Quamzin felt amused, 'I wonder if the effect is as strong as chewing leaves from Protoculture? I may have to try it.'

"And what of our infiltrator?" Azonia asked, the commander of the Angel Brigade looking on dangerously.

Breetai looked grim, "Depending on the degree of her contamination to music, we may have to abandon her."

'Oooh, Azonia doesn't like hearing that,' Quamzin mused, smiling to himself slightly. Personally, he was glad that any of the arrogant angels might be gone, but the rest of the fleet might disagree.

Azonia hammered her hand onto her desk as she said angrilly, "That is not acceptable, Lord Breetai."

"We may not have a choice," Breetai replied. He hesitated a moment, "All our attempts to communicate with her have failed."

'I wonder if dear Miriya was killed aboard Zor's ship?' Quamzin mused, 'Or maybe the music has driven her mad. It would be so amusing if that were so...'

"Request permision to lead an assault into Zor's ship," Azonia said seriously, "we will retrieve Miriya and discover the secrets of the ship."

'Or die trying,' Quamzin thought, smiling.

"Denied," Breetai shook his head, "the secrets of that vessel are too important to us all to lose them in a brute force attack. Why do you think I haven't committed our forces to a overwhelming assault before now?"

'And to think, I merely thought you lacked will,' Quamzin silently mocked him. Omce the meeting was over Quamzin switched his screen to an outside view, gazing at Zor's ship as it floated just beyond the blue green planet's atmosphere.

The launch of the vessel had been quite impressive, the massive ship rising up and away from the Micronian's home and sweeping through the clouds into the clean void of space. Now it waited, mocking their ambitions as it lumbered around the planet in a low orbit.

"So," Quamzin mused to himself aloud, "you are the ones who killed my comrade, Khyron." Honestly, Quamzin would have thought the backstabber to be unkillable, but somehow the pilots of the humans had done it, reducing his officers pod to wreckage. "We will meet," he murmured, "and I will see you pay for it."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Ah-choo!" Rei Ayanami sneezed suddenly, then the red eyed young woman blinked a few times in confusion.

"Are you all right?" Asuka Langley asked, the redhead reaching out to brush Rei's light blue hair from her eyes.

"Something suddenly made me sneeze," Rei looked sheepish as she stretched out beside Asuka in the bed. She smiled as Asuka cupped her chin, kissing her, "Aren't you affraid of catching something?"

ASuka chuckled as she cuddled close to the smaller, naked woman. "By now, I'm pretty sure we're sharing anything we may have," she noted impishly.

Rei blushed, "Asuka."

Chuckling quietly Asuka rolled over on her back, holding Rei close. "In fact, I was going to suggest..." Asuka trailed off.

"Yes?" Rei looked up at Asuka questioningly.

Asuka actually looked a bit nervous as she asked, "What would you think of moving in together? We could use my room or yours..."

Rei surprised her by nearly crawling up Asuka to kiss her feverdly.

"You approve?" Asuka asked once Rei let her go.

"Oh yes," Rei beamed. Blushing a bit she admitted, "I was going to ask you that, once I got up my nerve."

Asuka hugged her, chuckling, "I've been thinking of asking for a while, too." She paused, "Now for the hard part."

"Eh?" Rei looked at her curiously.

"Who's quarters do we move into?" Asuka asked mildly.

There was a moment of dead silence then Rei admitted, "I hadn't thought of that."

"My rooms are pretty cluttered," Asuka admitted, looking around at the disaster area they were lying in, with clothes laying about, paperwork dumped on the desk and items hanging off random pieces of furniture.

Rei nodded reluctantly, "I like your rooms, but you do have a lot of stuff." She frowned, "I don't have so much, but..."

"Your room's tiny," Asuka sighed. She looked curiously at Rei, "How come you never got your room upgraded when you were promoted?"

"Never saw the point," Rei shrugged.

"Well, my suit's closer to the flight deck..." Asuka mused.

Rei chuckled, "But mine's closer to Macross city."

"Point," Asuka conceded.

"Why not request a new room?" Rei suggested after a moment. She smiled slightly, "We can request a larger one, too."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Asuka chuckled softly.

Rei sighed as she cuddled close, "I never fell in love with you for your brains."

Asuka groaned, "Oooh, mean."

Just then, they heard the sound of knocking on the door. "Oh no," Rei sighed.

"GO AWAY," Asuka bellowed, but the knocking continued.

"You'd better answer it," Rei sighed, "it could be important."

"It better be," Asuka scowled as she got up out of bed, hunting around for a robe to cover up her nakedness.

"Nice butt," Rei teased as Asuka bent over to pick up the robe's belt.

"Perv," Asuka chuckled fondly. With a fierce look she strode to the door, swinging it open as she demanded. "What is it?!"

Makoto Hyuga stepped back, the slightly nerdy older officer going pale. "Ah, hello ma'am..." he started nervously.

"Get on with it," Asuka growled.

Looking over Asuka's shoulder he saw Rei laying in bed and Makoto realized exactly what he'd interrupted. Blushing he stammered, "I'm terribly sorry!"

Asuka cracked her knuckles, "This had better be good."

"Your friend Miriya," Makoto blurted out nervously, "is in the brig. I was requested to come get you."

"Minmei's girlfriend?" Rei looked curious as she wrapped a sheet around her and joined them, "Why doesn't Minmei just bail her out?"

"Because Minmei's in lock up with her," Makoto explained.

"Oy," Asuka sighed.

To be continued...

Note: Quamzin is the Japanese name for Khyron. Having foolishly killed Khyron off earlier, I needed a similar character, so I'm using his original version, sorta. lol


	28. Chapter 28

Evangelion meets Robotech

"... and then what happened?" Asuka Langley blinked, the flame haired pilot quietly talking to the officer who was in charge of the SDF-1's fully equipped brig. It didn't really look like a prison, in part because of the bright lighting and high tech design, but the feel of the place was still oppressive.

The blonde haired young woman grinned back as Hitomi cheerfully said, "Well, apparently your friend Miriya decided that Min-Mei had been insulted and took a swing at Petty Officer MacKenzie. His buddies jumped into it, then Min-Mei started clobbering people over the head with chairs."

"Oy," Asuka winced, easily imagining how that brawl down at the Little White Dragon must have gone.

"We're just lucky her cousin Lynn Kyle wasn't there," Rei Ayanami noted thoughtfully as the red eyed girl continued, "or things could have been much, much worse."

A very sheepish looking Miriya emerged from the back first, then a chuckling Min-Mei, talking pleasantly to the officer escorting them. "Asuka," Min-Mei smiled charmingly, "fancy seeing you here."

"You're lucky Shinji's out on patrol duty," Asuka said wryly, "or he'd be here getting you out and demanding a explaination."

Mirya bowed slightly as the green haired woman said to the both quietly, "Thank you for helping us, ma'am."

Rei Ayanami noticed how pale Miriya was as the blue haired woman asked her, "Are you all right?"

A ghost of a smile flickered across her lips as Miriya conceded, "I don't handle captivity very well, it seems."

"Ah," Rei nodded.

Hitomi extended forms to them to fill out as she said briskly, "Petty Officer MacKenzie will be coming up on charges over this incident, but the military police are just letting you two off with a warning."

Min-mei frowned, "But they started..."

Asuka reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, "The captain wants to discourage fighting aboard ship in the strongest way possible. With all of us bottled up in here, things could get out of hand very, very easily."

"She's got a point," Miriya conceded.

"Hmm," Min-Mei frowned, clearly not agreeing with them but also unwilling to continue to argue the issue.

"Do you want to go home, or should I accompany you to rehersals for the pageant?" Miriya asked respectfully.

Min-Mei winced visibly. "What I'd really like to do is go home and sleep," she admitted, "but the show must go on."

"Miss Min-Mei?" Hitomi asked as the group got ready to go.

"Yes?" Min-Mei turned to ask.

Hitomi produced a piece of paper as she asked, "Could I have the autograph of a future Miss Macross winner?"

"I haven't won yet," Min-Mei blushed as she signed.

"You will," Hitomi nodded firmly, "you outshine them all."

The group of four left the security wing of the mighty fortress ship, Asuka leading the way while Rei took up the rear. "I think she likes you," Asuka teased as they passed a digital screen showing the view outside, the planet Earth receeding slowly as they put distance between the SDF-1 and it.

"Asuka," Min-Mei blushed, pausing a moment to take in the view too.

Exiled from Earth by government order the massive vessel had left home peacefully, but they were always shadowed by the massive Zentradi fleet. Day after day they launched probing assaults against the ship, and each time they fought the enemy back. But all the crew were aware that the Zentradi had a overwhelming force available if they truly wished to use it, and grimly waited for the other shoe to drop.

'Which is why we're so caught up in the pageant,' Rei silently mused as they reached a transit route into the city itself, 'it provides a distraction from all that.'

"I'm not surprised you're popular," Asuka noted cheerfully, "you certainly have the looks and charm."

"I'm glad you're settled down with Rei," Min-Mei noted with some amusement, "or I'd be worried you were trying to charm me into something."

"I'm shocked you even think that," Asuka joked.

Seeing the slightly pinched look on Miriya's face Rei murmured to her, "You don't need to be so worried. They're just old friends."

"Sorry," Miriya managed a smile, "I'm just not used to things like this."

Meanwhile, up on the bridge Captain Misato furtively snuck a sip from her can of beer. "Do you have to do that?" Aoba asked wearily.

"Yes, I do," Misato answered as she put her can of beer down beside her chair. The black haired woman adjusted her officer's cap as she briskly asked, "Maya, patrol status?"

Maya Ibuki touched her control console, the brown haired younger woman oddly dressed in a tuxedo. "Ikari reports a skirmish in sector I-1," she said briskly, "he believes it to be merely a probing attempt."

Ritsuko frowned as she studied combat data then the dyed blonde noted, "But they've been probing more frequently lately..."

"Do you think they're planing something?" Misato wondered, her eyes narrowing.

"They have to do something," Maya offered, "if their high command is anywhere near as impatient as ours is."

Everyone on the bridge chuckled at that. Misato's fights with Earth high command were becoming legendary, from her fight to offload civilians to their recent forced launch from Earth before ship and crew were ready. To say Misato was becoming a thorn in Earth Command's side was a understatement, but there was little their superiors could do about it.

"Any changes in their force deployments?" Misato wondered.

Ritsuko shook her head, "Not that we can see. But there's such a high density of screening ships at the core of their fleet we can't say for sure what's happening there."

"Would deploying a radar wing help?" Maya wondered.

A radar wing was a modified craft carrying a powerful sensor rig, named after the older radar planes. It could be more powerful than ship sensors in that it could probe with greater focus in a particular direction, but such craft were also very vulnerable.

"No," Misato shook her head firmly, "they've been able to capture one previously. I'm not risking it happening again."

"We could ask Skull Squadron to attempt a reconnasance mission," Ritsuko offered.

"The Angels of Death?" Misato smiled faintly, "Knowing them, they'd volunteer. But it'd be a massive blow to our morale if we lost them."

"I doubt we'd lose them," Maya said after a moment, "but you're probably right."

Out in the depths of space a squadron of fighters swept through the night, their metal shining in the starlight. Shinji Ikari lead them in his blue trimmed Valkyrie, the brown haired man's eyes intent as he studied the darkness.

"Sir, we've cleared the sector," Lynn Kyle said quietly.

"Yeah..." Shinji frowned slightly, wondering what exactly was bothering him. The sensor data showed clear, as did ship based scans but...

"Do you want to do another fly-by?" Aida asked a bit tiredly.

"Sorry folks," Shinji apologized, "but something's bugging me. Another pass. Please."

Firing low powered thrusters the fighters shifted course, retracing their steps as the ominous shapes of Zentradi ships followed at a distance. As they cruised along the pilots searched the darkness, then Hikari spoke up, "You're right, there IS something."

"Eh?" Kyle wondered.

"There are black shapes...," Hikari said seriously as the brown haired woman peered out her view screen, "you can see them when they blot out the stars."

"Oh crap," Aida breathed out in alarm.

'We're using tight band transmissions between fighters,' Shinji's mind raced, 'they probably don't know we've spotted them. Do I radio the SDF-1 or...'

THOOM! Suddenly the concealed ships were wracked by missile fire as a single fighter swept in, weapons blazing. "Let's do this," Hikari cried, leading Aida in a rapid assault.

'Jumped the gun.' Shinji thought grimly as he activated the radio and contacted the SDF-1, "This is recon flight one, there are cloaked battlepods inbound! I repeat, cloaked battlepods!" Shutting down the connection Shinji kicked in the afterburners and raced to the fight, the battlepods revealing themselves as they fired back.

"Cloaked battlepods?" Misato sat up on the bridge, her eyes widening in surprise.

Ritsuko raced to the sensors console and began to manipulate scan frequencies as she muttered, "We should have anticipated this..."

Maya hit the general alarm as she ordered, "All reserve pilots, to your fighters! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!"

"Keep an eye on the main fleet," Misato ordered, "and prepare to transform the SDF-1!" She sat back as she thought, 'This could be it...'

To be continued...


	29. Chapter 29

Evangelion meets Robotech

Chapter 29

Explosions lit up the night as Breetai winced, the giant Zentradi sitting on the bridge of his flagship. "They spotted our troops sooner than we thought," the big man rumbled, the half helmet that covered part of his face gleaming.

Exedore nodded thoughtfully, "We knew they used more patrol craft than most of our enemies... it was a calculated risk."

"Hmm," Breetai murmured, watching the battle unfold on a screen set beside his chair. In the middle of the flight of battlepods several fighters spun and danced in the explosions of their deadly weaponry. All of the enemy craft fought well, but a blue trimmed fighter fought even better than most.

"That's one of the three our warriors are most concerned about," Exedore said diplomatically as he recognized the vehicle's markings, "they have a remarkable kill rate for our battlepods." Mentally he added, 'Concerned sounds better than terrified.'

A technician who was monitoring the battle called out respectfully, "Zor's ship is transforming again!"

"I often wonder why they've done that," Exedore murmured, watching as the great ship changed form, eventually resembling a standing humanoid warrior.

"They may have unlocked some new power of Protoculture," Breetai mused.

"Sir, Quamzin is requesting permission to launch an attack," another warrior reported as more battlepods were destroyed on the view screen.

"Have all the battlepods been spotted?" Breetai asked thoughtfully as the battle waged hotter on the screen, reinforcements sweeping in to aid Earth's defenders.

"Yes, Lord Breetai," another bridge member noted regretfully, "once the first wing was spotted, the scouts on the other approach vectors were able to detect the other wings, too."

Breetai rose, frowning. "If even one of our covert groups had broken through, it might have been worthwhile to follow up with a full assault," he said seriously, "but without at least one, it would be simply a waste of vessels."

Meanwhile, on the bridge of a smaller vessel a hand smashed at a innocent control panel, the slim officer nearly shaking with rage. "Cowardly fool!" Quamzin yelped as he returned to his seat, "Why will he not find his nerve!?"

"My lord," a officer replied tentatively, "the gambit failed. The hidden ships were spotted too soon to carry out the plan."

"Shut up!" Quamzin nearly leapt from his seat as he backhanded the Zentradi, his strength shocking from such a small man.

"Ooof," the officer flew across the bridge, slamming against the far wall painfully.

"Do not question me," Quamzin stalked back to his chair, turning to study the image in front of them. In a much more normal tone of voice he noted, "See those discharges? They're going to fire the main gun again."

Indeed even as he spoke flashes of lighting danced between the massive twin booms which normally were on the front of the ship. A light welled up between then as forces built, then suddenly it was released as a scythe of destructive energy cut through the ships of the great Zentradi fleet. Each ship the bolt touched died in a burst of destructive energy, the attack too sudden to be countered and too powerful to stop.

"Why do they change their ship that way?" Quamzin wondered as they watched the wreckage of their ships fall from Earth's orbit to the planet below.

Another officer, braver than most, offered, "Maybe it's a symbol to them?"

"They are a irrational breed," Quamzin conceded reluctantly, "but I sense there is something more to it..."

Out in the dogfight a Evangelion fighter exploded in flames and Shinji Ikari cursed softly, the brown haired pilot too far away to help. Wheeling around he raced in to reinforce the wing even as a green decorated fighter joined him. His eyes widened as they swept through the enemy in a blaze of fireballs, the other pilot keeping up with him as they tore into the enemy.

Noting the fighter's number Shinji punched it into the radio as he shifted to Guardian mode, the fighter hovering in mid air as it fired lethally. The face that appeared on his screen was that of a black haired man, his expression oddly pleasant as he destroyed battlepods left and right.

"Lieutenant Ikari," Lynn Kyle said with a smile, "hope you don't mind the assist."

"Thanks," Shinji smiled back as they fired, driving back a concentrated push even as more fighters arrived to support them, "it was getting a little tense."

Kyle waved that aside, "You were handling things, sir. I just sped things up a bit."

"Ikari, Lynn," the bridge hailed them as Maya said, "we're getting steady fire from several cruisers in the left quadrant. Can you do something about it?"

"Let's go," Ikari said with a feral grin as they shifted back to fighter mode, rocketing off towards the Zentradi cruisers.

Bobbing and weaving through streams of enemy fire the two pilots reached the dark green skin of the alien craft, skimming along the surface as they fired on the exposed weapons mounts. They went up in brightly colored bursts of flame as the twin fighters swiftly pruned away the cruiser's offensive capability, then soared on to strike another one.

Kyle shook his head slightly as he and Shinji soared down at another cruiser as the first limped away. 'Incredible,' he thought as he dodged a beam that would have pulped his Evangelion, 'Ikari has no wasted movement at all... he'd be a natural martial artist.'

Fire blossomed on the surface of the cruiser as Shinji unleashed a flight of missiles, then they soared in through the smoke to wreak havoc. "Watch for fire from the left," Shinji warned as several battlepods tried to interfere.

"I see them," Kyle flipped his Evangelion around in a move that looked more difficult than it was and opened fire, picking them off before returning to his strafing run.

"Nice," Shinji smiled, then both were too preoccupied with battle to talk.

Within the SDF-1 there was both a sense of tension and a oddly relaxed feeling, the people within the ship having grown a bit complacent under the constant attacks. In the stadium where the Miss Macross contest was being held the biggest reaction seemed annoyance at the inconvenience of the modular transformation.

Kaworu pushed his white hair back as the young man smiled wryly, "I wonder if this'll happen during the show?" The group of contestants were all stuck in the stadium's safe zone as they waited for the ship to revert to normal and free them.

"It better not!" Satsuki Ooi growled, the lovely blonde pacing about as they waited for the battle to end. "Damn it, couldn't they have waited till after we rehearse?!"

"I don't think the Zentradi book their battles based on your schedule," Asuka Langley said dryly from where she waited by Rei.

"Are you being smart?!" Satsuki demanded.

"Damn right," Asuka said dryly, seemingly entirely un-bothered by the actress' famous temper tantrums.

"Ah...," Something in Asuka's eyes caused the actress to stop her advance, making a humph sound before stalking back to her seat.

"Well done," Rei Ayanami murmured, sitting close to her.

"Indeed," Maya Ibuki agreed, the boyish officer leaning up against a wall nearby, "I swear, she's a bigger pain than a hung over Misato."

"You shouldn't talk about the Captain that way," Mana Kirishima said, blushing faintly.

ASuka looked over at the test pilot with a wry smile, "You and I both know it's the truth. Rumors about her drinking have spread all through the military."

"Still," Mana looked over at the civilians meaningfully.

"Point," Asuka conceded, glad they had all mostly kept their voices down.

"Anyone got any good jokes about modular transformations?" Kaworu wondered casually, "I could work that into my routine."

"You could always joke about needing a modular transformation to get into that suit," Satsuki said wryly.

"It is tight," Kaworu conceded as he plucked at the tight white tuxedo he wore.

"Looks good on you, though," Satsuki had to concede.

Asuka thumped her hand against the bulkhead in frustration, "Damn it, I wish I was out there in my Evangelion."

"Me too," Rei squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

Minmei and Miriya sat nearby, the exhausted younger woman snoozing against Miriya's shoulder. Seeing the pilots' questioning look Miriya softly explained, "She was up late last night practicing a new song."

'Ah," Asuka nodded in understanding. She smiled slightly as she wrapped a arm around Rei's shoulder, "I'm glad you're here taking care of her."

Miriya blushed, looking down as she said quietly, "I'm glad to be here too."

'Isn't that interesting,' Satsuki thought, mentally connecting different things she had seen between the two women, 'I wonder if I could use this...?'

To be continued...


	30. Chapter 30

Evangelion meets Robotech

Chapter 30

The city of Macross had the feeling of a boom town as the influx of off duty pilots got out of the ground shuttles and mingled with the teeming crowds, standing out in their military uniforms. Three figures hung close together as they got their bearings, each one visually different than the other. The tallest was a orange haired woman with her jacket open, then a brown haired young man and finally a blue haired younger looking woman.

"Thank gott the training rotation is over," Asuka Soryu Langley muttered, the orange haired woman reverting a moment to her mother's German. "If I had to nursemaid another bunch of trainees I was going to shoot someone," she added as they set off down the street, window shopping.

"I don't think they're going to put you on training rotation again," Shinji Ikari noted wryly, the brown haired young man having undone the collar button of his uniform only. He didn't stand out like his comrades but he looked comfortable with who he was.

"Hey," Asuka sounded indignant, "I apologized and everything."

"Uhm," Rei looked at the two of them with a smile then the blue haired girl asked wryly, "What did you do, Asuka?"

"Just a simple training exercise," Asuka said in lofty tones.

"Yeah, right," Shinji said dryly. He looked over at Rei, "Asuka was having some problems with one kid who was just not catching on. He was about two steps behind everyone else and kept flubbing simple moves. So I guess Asuka decided shock therapy might help."

"Shock therapy?" Rei echoed, the artificial sunlight falling on her face as they passed between two buildings.

"I went after him with live ammo," Asuka admitted. "I figured he needed to understand this wasn't a game, and if I did shoot him I'd go for a disabling shot."

"It worked," Shinji conceded the point, "but boy was the head of training mad. I swear, I thought she was going to blow a gasket right there."

"Asuka," Rei chided, smiling.

Rei was almost as relieved as Asuka to have a break away from the pageant rehearsals. She really didn't feel suited to being on stage, and dealing with the other contestants had it's own difficulties. She liked Min-Mei well enough, but Mana was nervous and high strung, Satsuki Ooi was arrogant and Maya Ibuki was a superior officer whom she would normally not deal with so intimately.

"Oh, wow, it's her!" two young women whispered amoungst themselves, staring at the three pilots. One girl was pushed by the others towards them and she held out a pice of paper. "Miss Ayanami, can I have your autograph?"

"Eh?" Rei blinked.

Asuka moved herself subtlely between them and Rei, "What are you girls doing?"

"We saw your rehersal preformance on the Macross 'net," another girl offered, "you were incredible! When the time comes to decide for Miss Macross you have our votes."

"Of course," Rei said mildly as she signed the paper in her usual crisp style.

"Thank you!" the girls beamed then hurried off, giggling.

"I should have warned you," Shinji said as they started walking again, "someone leaked the rehersal footage online a few days ago. With all the interest in the pageant there's a bit of Miss Macross fever going on."

"You're kidding," Asuka scowled, looking around darkly as if she needed to defend Rei from her more rabid fans.

"Sorry, no," Shinji said as he added, "Miriya's already had to clout one guy for getting too aggressive with Min-Mei."

"I'm surprised your not over there protecting her," Rei noted mildly.

Shinji made a face as he confessed quietly, "Well, we're taking a little break from each other right now."

"Hey," Asuka put her hand on his arm to stop them and then pulled him aside, "we're your friends as well as Min-Mei's. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"It's kind of complicated," Shinji answered uncomfortably.

Rei looked at Shinji as he refused to say more, then over at Asuka. "He's concerned that Miriya is falling in love with Min-Mei," she noted calmly.

There was a long moment of dead silence then the other two pilots looked at Rei in surprise. "How do you know?" Asuka asked, Shinji too surprised to speak.

"It's not difficult to tell from how Miriya interacts with Min-Mei," Rei said with a slight shrug. She added, "The only question is does Min-Mei return those feelings?"

Asuka looked over at Shinji, "Well?"

"That's about what I figured," Shinji admitted as he ran a hand through his gloved hair. He smiled a bit sadly, "I've always felt Min=Mei liked me, but I never really felt that she loved me. But around Miriya, she... glows."

"You could try to fight for her," Asuka offered, though she honestly rather doubted he'd succeed against the fierce green haired woman.

Shinji shrugged slightly as he said honestly, "I want her to be happy, Asuka."

"That is incredibly cheesy," Rei noted, but a few tears still shimmered in her red eyes.

"He is that," Asuka agreed as they took off again. "All right," she declared, "enough seriousness, we're gonna party your blues away!"

"I'm not blue, really," Shinji tried to protest as Asuka dragged him along beside her.

"Close enough," Asuka dragged him forward as Rei followed, "so we're gonna eat, get some drinks and then party like there's no tomorrow!"

"Yay," Rei smiled wryly.

'Oh god,' Shinji groaned.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Meanwhile, out beyond the Zentradi fleet, indeed farther through space than most humans had dreamed of traveling there was the home world of the Zentradi. Though in truth it was more like a fleet headquarters than a home world, the buildings and cities all built with a simple purpose, unlike the worlds of other beings.

Dolza, leader of all Zentradi, looked out at that order from his command tower and nodded once. "Tell me, Quamzin," the bald man turned to the view screen, "why should I not kill you like the treacherous dog you are?"

"I defy only Breetai," Quamzin said proudly, raising his handsome face boldly, "not you, my lord. I have informed you of the truth, even though it may cost me my life."

It took much effort to keep the contempt off his face, gazing at the commander. 'The fool doesn't even realize I can tell he was chewing the Flowers of Life,' he thought, disgusted at the officer's dependence on the forbidden drug. "You have served we well," he said to him flatly, "I will remember it, when the time comes."

"I live but to serve you," Quamzin bowed slightly then boldly asked, "but what am I to do with the traitor, Breetai?"

"Nothing," Dolza snapped.

"But my lord!" Quamzin protested.

"His time is coming," Dolza said dangerously, "and it is coming soon. Be patient and await my command." He smiled with winter chill as he added, "Defy me in this, and you risk counting yourself among my enemies."

Much more meekly Quamzin nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Contact General Azonia," Dolza added, "she is loyal, too, and will aid you when the time comes for us to act."

"Thank you, sir!" Quamzin smiled as they disconnected.

Dolza smiled grimly as he considered the fool he had just spoken too. He was almost certain that Quamzin would attack Breetai without orders, especially with the alliance with Azonia. They would be destroyed, of course, but not without inflicting great harm to Breetai. Which was just as well, because Dolza had to destroy them all, now.

"That accursed culture!" Dolza growled to himself as he walked to his work area.

The Zentradi were a manufactured people, with only limited history, and structured like a army rather than a race. It made them powerful and focused in battle, but also left them with a glaring weakness. Exposure to a alien culture played on the lack of one within the Zentradi, creating a crippling longing for what they did not have. Discipline and the will to fight seeped away, replaced by individuality and chaos. The only way to remove the rot was to destroy the host, in this case Breetai's entire fleet and the world it encircled.

"Signal the fleet," Dolza sent the order to space, "we move out to this Earth system as soon as I'm aboard."

"Yes, sir!" his second declared, swiftly moving to obey the order.

'But it will take us time to get there,' Dolza mused grimly as he left his office and headed down to the launch pad, 'especially since we must avoid the view of the Masters. In the face of this threat I will destroy a fleet, but if the Masters learn of this they may consider the entire Zentradi themselves as a failed experiment....'

Not long after Dolza was ascending to orbit, gazing out at what was called the Grand Fleet. The space around their world was filled with ships, from cruisers to battleships, from destroyers up to moon sized monitors. All of them dedicated to the service of the Zentradi, and through them the Masters.

'And we can barely maintain and repair them ourselves,' Dolza thought bitterly as they docked with his ship, the command asteroid. He made his way to the flight deck, ignoring the announcement of his arrival as he went straight to his station.

"We are ready to begin fold operations when ready," the commander of the asteroid said respectfully, standing at attention.

"We will not fold directly to Earth," Dolza ordered, "we will take a less direct route instead." At the questioning look he added, "I wish to surprise our enemy." Mentally he added, 'And such a route will confuse the Masters too.'

"Yes, sir," the commander nodded.

"We will bring two Fleet units," Dolza decided after a moment, "leave the third here on station, in case the Masters need us." It would give them twice Breetai's numbers, more than enough to crush him and wipe out this troublesome planet.

"And Zor's ship?" the commander wondered.

Dolza smiled coldly, "Let it burn."

To b e continued....


	31. Chapter 31

Evangelion meets Robotech

On board his flagship, Breetai's single eye widened in alarm, his voice rough as he demanded, "He's doing what!"

"Dolza's main fleet is on the move," Exedore reported grimly, the small, slightly deformed Zentradi facing his master calmly. With a grimace he added, "My source indicates he believes we've been contaminated by protoculture."

Breetai sat back, his lips pressed together in a grim line. "Who contacted him?" he asked after a moment, his expression dark.

"We've studied the sensor data," Exedore answered seriously, "only Quamzim was broadcasting signals at the time to reach Dolza."

"Kill the fool," Breetai commanded, "all ships, fire on the traitor Quamzim."

The fleet moved, ponderously but with deadly intent as the vessels shifted away from Quamzim's cruiser. Surprisingly a few ships chose to stand with him but the fight was short lived, main guns and battlepods swarming over the vessels. There was a flicker of light, the ships bulged as internal explosions were triggered by weapons fire, then they exploded in balls of expanding gas.

Breetai felt a slight flicker of satisfaction, but it was a fleeting sensation. The man had been a thorn in his side from the beginning of this campain, but now he needed all the warriors he could get. Looking down at Exedore again he asked, "How long do we have?"

"Days, possibly less," Exedore answered frankly. Slightly hesitantly he added, "We could retreat from the system, fold out..."

Breetai shook his head grimly, "It wouldn't help. Dolza would simply eliminate this world then chase us down."

"So it seems we're all doomed," Exedore noted. He nodded towards the ship of the humans, the SDF-1, and mused, "Do you think we can make them understand that?"

Breetai looked at the smaller Zentradi in surprise, "Are you suggesting we ally with them?"

"We will all die when Dolza arrives," Exedore shrugged, "but together... there might be a chance. Possibly."

"There IS a strange... power they have," Breetai conceded after a moment. All his crew had been changed by their contact with these humans, even he had felt a shifting within himself. He did not understand it, but it was there.

"Should we hail them?" Exedore asked.

Breetai sat back, feeling the odd serenity of having made a decision, no matter how bad it might turn out. "Hail them," he agreed, "and tell their captain we wish to parley."

On board the bridge of the SDF-1 Captain Misato Katsuragi sat in her chair, the black haired woman pushing her uniform cap up as she read the communication again. "You're certain this is a correct translation?" she pressed.

"They sent it to us in English," Ritsuko answered, grimacing. "Apparently they've got a very good intelligence department over there."

"They want to parley...," Misato murmured, sitting back.

Misato had experienced a lot of crazy things, in her time in the navy. She had fought in the Global Wars, assisted reconstruction, hunted down seperatists and survived everything that had been thrown at her. When she was fully brought into the SDF project she accepted the existance of aliens pretty easily, knowing they couldn't be crazier than anything else she had seen.

"Where?" Misato asked curiously.

"Up to us, ma'am," Maya Ibuki answered, comically still dressed in the suit she wore for her musical preformance in the Macross musical competition. She was largely unaware of how nummy she looked, several girls on staff giving her longing looks.

Ritsuko, on the other hand, was VERY aware and kept shooting glares around the room. "I suggest using out main hanger deck," she offered, "it's about the only place we've refitted where a full sized Zentradi could stand up."

"The message mentions something called micronization," Maya offered tentatively, "and they call us Micronians. Does that mean they can shrink to our size?"

Misato didn't much like that idea, as it implied they could sneak human sized Zentradi on the ship. 'Still, you think we'd notice?' she mused. "Contact them and let them know the initial meeting will be on our hanger deck," she ordered.

"Got it," Ritsuko nodded.

"I want our best pilots available in their Veritechs as guards," Misato added seriously, "we are taking no chances with this."

"The Angels of Death?" Maya asked.

Misato nodded, "The Angels."

Shinji Ikari cursed as he yanked his pants up, the brown haired young man standing in the quarters of a certain friendly sargent. Kaede Agano sat on the bed, the nude young woman watching with some amusement as he dressed. "You're cute when you blush, you know that?" she laughed.

"Gee, thanks," Shinji grabbed his shirt and pulled it on, tucking it into his uniform pants.

"Here," Kaede helped him into his uniform jacket, buttoning him up carefully. Tentatively she said, "I really had a good time last night. Do you think we could do it again?"

"I'd like that," Shinji smiled back, adjusting his uniform so it looked as neat as possible. A bit shyly he asked, "Do you have my number?"

"Saved," Kaede nodded firmly. Playfully she slapped his butt, "You'd better hurry, lover."

"Will do," Shinji said, stopping to kiss her before hurrying out the door.

"Man he's nummy," Kaede sighed, then began to get dressed herself.

Shinji jogged down the hallways through officer territory to the pilot's section, down ladders and through sections until he reached the briefing room. He stopped a moment to catch his breath, tidied his uniform one more time, then headed inside.

"About time," Asuka Soryuu Langley smiled wryly, the redhead comfortably seated by her girlfriend Rei Ayanami.

"I'm not actually late, am I?" Shinji asked as he took a seat.

"Nearly," Rei teased, her blue hair falling into her odd red eyes.

Hikari Horaki sat off to one side, the brown haired woman talking quietly to Kensuke Aida. She had been hit hard by her lover Toji's death but was gradually recovering, in part by throwing herself into her work. She wasn't the best pilot in the fleet but she was clearly in the top ten, mostly through sheer guts and determination.

Lynn Kyle was nearby, his brown hair falling into his eyes. The most 'zen' of the pilots, he was fast and deadly in combat, yet remained eerily calm. He was racking up a score nearly matching that of the other top pilots, even though he hadn't been on board the ship all that long.

"Anyone know what the assignment will be?" Lynn Kyle asked after a moment.

"Dunno," Aida admitted as he pushed his glasses up, "but I think it has to be big, for all of us to have been called together on such short notice."

"Everyone else got the emergency call up too?" Shinji smiled wryly, "good, I thought I was in trouble or something."

"So," Asuka whispered, "why are you still in last night's uniform?"

"Ah...," Shinji blushed.

Rei looked amused, "Was your approach of Officer Agano successful?"

Shinji looked at her in surprise. "How did you know...?" he asked, blinking.

"You'd be surprised what Rei hears about," Asuka noted wryly. She looked Shinji over, "I take it things went well?"

"Well enough," Shinji blushed.

Before any more embarrassing questions could be asked Ritsuko Akagi entered, the commander striding along confidently. "Ladies and gentlemen," she nodded, sweeping the room with her eyes.

Everyone sat up, exchanging wary glances. It wasn't usual to have someone of her rank briefing them, which meant it probably wasn't good news...

"We have a important new assignment for you," Ritsuko said briskly, activating the view screen. "At 1200 hours tomorrow, we will be receiving a envoy from the Zentradi fleet..."

"We're WHAT?" the group gasped almost as one.

Ritsuko gave them a stern glance, silencing them. "We are having a envoy of the Zentradi here," she said flatly, "we do not know why they wish to open communications."

"You expect treachery?" Rei offered flatly.

"Not expect, but we're going to be prepared," Ritsuko said, "which is why I want out best pilots on guard."

Hikari did not look happy about the idea, but no one expected her to be. Still, she looked thoughtful as she asked, "Any idea what to expect?"

"Not really," Ritsuko admitted, "we'll provide you with scan data as the ship comes in, but other than that we'll be flying by the seat of our pants."

"Great," Lynn Kyle murmured.

"We'll manage, ma'am," Asuka said firmly. She looked at her teammates as she asked, "Organized by seniority?"

"However you like," Ritsuko smiled faintly, "but get it all organized before the shooting starts tomorrow, got it?"

"Got it," the pilots called back firmly

To be continued...


	32. Chapter 32

Evangelion meets Robotech

Chapter 32

The most annoying thing about the coming meeting between the Zentradi and humanity was the postponement of the pageant. Yes, people agreed, the meeting was important but the show must go on! Especially considering this was a opportunity to see some extremely popular women with very little clothes on.

On board the bridge of the SDF-1 Captain Misato Katsuragi sat in her chair, the black haired woman pushing her uniform cap up as she read the pile of complaints. "The organizers know we're in the middle of a war, right?" she asked wryly.

Ritsuko Akagi looked mildly amused as the attractive older woman noted, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. Certainly I doubt that Satsuki Ooi cares, and Min-mei is under pressure from all the fans she already has."

"Lovely," Misato sighed. She checked the clock, noting it was twoi hours before the Zentradi delegation were to arrive and got up, "I'm going to go change. Rits, you have the bridge."

"Aye, ma'am," Ritsuko saluted as Misato left.

Maya Ibuki watched with pride as her lover took the center seat, then firmly turned back to her work. She closely monitored the movements of the Zentradi fleet, watching the mammoth ships dance against the starlight.

Lt Aoba and the other 'bridge bunnies' were all hard at work too, the officers handling various duties both within the ship and monitoring fighter communications. 'It's awfully quiet out there," Aoba noted softly.

"Well, the Zentradi are coming over to talk," Matoko Hyuga noted calmly. "Or it's a trap to make us let our guard down."

"A lot of the pilots seem to think that's their plan," Shigeru Aoba said with a sigh as he added, "I hope no one fucks things up."

"We're keeping a eye on them," Ritsuko said dryly. "Maya?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am?" Maya turned in her seat politely.

"Get the second watch up here, we're all going to need to change for the reception too," Ritsuko said briskly.

"Request permission to stay on the bridge," Matoko said.

Ritsuko looked at him thoughtfully, then nodded. "All right, you'll be commanding the watch," she decided. "Watch out for Makinami."

"Makinami?" Matoko echoed, not sure if he had heard right.

"She's apparently decided to bed the entire command staff, according to the rumors," Ritsuko noted with some amusement, "and apparently you're on her list."

Matoko paled slight, "Yes, ma'am."

Within a few minutes the secondary bridge crew began to file onto the bridge, including Lt. Mari Illustrious Makinami. The slim, purple haired young woman gave Ritsuko a very professional salute, "Reporting for duty, ma'am."

Ritsuko stood up and gestured for Matoko to take the seat. "Matoko, the bridge is yours," she said as she nodded to Makinami and murmured, "be good."

Mari smiled slyly, "I'm ALWAYS good, ma'am."

Mana bit back a chuckle as the rest of the senior staff filed out. "Is she really...?" she whispered to Ritsuko.

"That's the rumor," Ritsuko shrugged.

Not much later Misato Katsuragi was stripping out of her regular uniform, the dress uniform of a Captain laid out on her bed. Ryoji Kaji smiled at her as he asked, "Do you want me to run the shower for you?"

"Please!" Misato answered as she shrugged off her uniform shirt and began to unbutton her trousers.

"Too bad we don't have time to play," Kaji leered as he heated up the shower for her.

Misato hurried by him as she smiled wryly, "Sorry, honey, not today. Maybe tonight, if we have something to celebrate."

Kaji leaned by the wall as Misato showered off a day's sweat and worry and asked, "You're optimistic about all this?"

"I'm trying to be," Misato called over the sound of scrubbing. "I mean, why go to all this trouble otherwise?" she asked.

"They could just be formally demanding our surrender," Kaji offered dryly.

"There's a happy thought," Misato grumbled as she washed and swiftly rinsed her hair. She hopped out of the shower dripping wet, and Kaji swiftly enfolded her in a heavy towel. "Oooh, that's nice," she sighed as he dried her.

"All part of the service," Kaji chuckled as he rubbed her down.

"Have I said thank you lately for your deciding to stay on the ship?" Misato asked as they finished drying her off and she began to pull on her fresh underwear.

"Yes, but you can repeat it as many times as you wish," Kaji smiled. "Mind if I shower? I assume I'm attending as Special Inspector, if not as Misato's Boytoy."

"You're a lot more than my boytoy," Misato chuckled as she pulled on a shirt, "Go on, there should still be enough hot water left too."

"Thanks," Kaji grinned as he stripped and swiftly jumped in the shower too.

By the time Kaji emerged Misato was fully into her dress whites, looking both formal and strikingly attractive in the uniform. "I have this monkey suit," Misato muttered, tugging at her collar with mild irritation.

"Your tie is crooked," Kaji noted, stepping up and adjusting it carefully.

"Thanks," Misato puffed out a breath. She checked the time, "I should go down to the main hanger bay, make sure everything is set."

"I'll meet you there," Kaji promised as she hurried out.

Kaji waited a few moments, then moved over to Misato's private terminal. He hated doing this but part of his duties were keeping an eye on Misato, and he was determined to do his job well. 'If I get pulled they'll assign someone a lot less sympathetic to her,' he mused as he read files.

As Misato headed to the hanger deck she nodded greets to crew and returned salutes, even as she mused on what Kaji was probably doing right now. 'Probably cracking my files,' she thought, stepping into the empty lift.

Misato had been a bit upset at first, learning that Kaji had been assigned to spy on her by High Command, but had come to accept it. If she was going to have a spy on staff she'd rather know who it was, and from what she could tell he was slanting reports in her favor.

Misato smirked as the lift stopped, 'Besides, he is great in bed.'

The main Hangar Deck was still very military looking, especially with the Evangelion variable fighters standing guard at each orner. Still, the center section had been cleared of vehicles and a table was set up and decorated, though they weren't sure if the Zentradi were even going to be able to use it.

"Captain!" Sgt Kaede Agano saluted, the young woman helping the teams organize the reception.

"Sgt," Misato nodded, "how are things going?"

"We're on schedule, ma'am," Kaede said briskly, "and I've worked in some wiggle room in case something goes wrong."

"And something always goes wrong," Misato smiled slightly. Part of her wanted to tease the young woman with the rumors she had heard about her and Ikari, but she decided not too. She needed to keep her mind on business, for now.

The three legendary 'Angels of Death' were lined up in their Evangelions to one side, Asuka Langley, Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami. Other top pilots were also manning their machines at the corners of the hanger, as well as near the main hatches as a security precaution.

As Misato walked the outer area of the bay the rest of the bridge staff arrived, all in their dress uniforms and looking ready for anything. Ritsuko and Maya inspected the meeting table even as Aoba greeted pilots he knew then took up his position.

"Where's Makoto?" Misato asked curiously, a smile tugging at her lips.

"He asked to stay and watch the bridge," Ritsuko answered briskly.

Maya looked rather amused as she said, "Mari Illustrious Makinami is on, so it's possible he's regretting that decision."

Misato looked amused as she asked, "Is she still trying to lay the bridge crew and auxilaries?"

"Looks like it," Ritsuko said ruefully, "but at least she's stopped trying to get me and Maya."

"Well, sort of," Maya blushed as Ritsuko and Misato looke4d at her.

"What did she do?" Misato asked, liking seeing Maya blush like that.

Maya blushed even brighter as she mumbled something, "...some."

"Speak up," Ritsuko asked, smiling slightly.

"She asked if we wanted a threesome," Maya said a bit louder, blushing furiously.

Misato snickered, "Well, you can't say the girl hasn't got enthusiasm."

"She'd better not try anything on the bridge while we are gone," Ritsuko muttered darkly. She shook herself visibly, checking her watch as she said, "It's almost time."

"Bridge," Maya activated her communicator, "status on Zentradi fleet?"

Makoto replied with his usual efficiency, "No change to report..." He trailed off then added, "Correction, a shuttle has launched from what we think is the Zentradi flagship."

"Course?" Misato demanded.

"Straight to the SDF-1," Makoto confirmed calmly, "arrival in less than five minutes."

"All right everyone, it's nearly showtime," Misato said briskly, "take your positions." Even as she said that Kaji hurried in, tucking his uniform shirt into his trousers. "What kept you?" she murmured as he stood nearby.

"Got distracted reading your porn collection," Kaji lied with a grin."

"Pervert!" Misato jabbed him in the side with her elbow.

"Ship inbound in two minutes," Makoto confirmed.

'Well, here they come,' Misato thought as the large green, bumpy craft entered the bay and settled into a landing, 'let's hope I don't blow this.

To be continued...


	33. Chapter 33

Evangelion Robotech

Breetai was BIG. That was Misato's first impression as she stared at the heavily muscled man with a metal cowl covering part of his head. Despite his size he moved like a cat, unlike the dwarf who lurched along beside him. But whatever Exedore seemed to lack in grace, he made up for in a razor sharp mind and calm reason.

"A fleet HOW large is coming?" Misato demanded.

Breetai felt sympathy with her, knowing the scope of the threat that was coming for them. "Dolza is bringing a fleet that dwarfs my own," he said grimly, "and I am certain that he's received reports indicating I have been contaminated with culture."

Ritsuko nodded slightly. "Our broadcasts and so on," she said, "from what your Exedore says, your people are highly vulnerable to confusion caused by cultural programing."

"I still can't get over the idea that the Zentradi have no culture other than warfare and soldiering," Rei said mildly from where she and the others sat in their Eva mode Evangelion variable fighters.

"It's kind of sad, really," Shinji Ikari noted, even as he kept a eye on Kaede. He felt a charge whenever he saw her, making him wonder how serious this could be. Was he falling in love?

"Sad or no there's a whole fleet of the buggers coming at us," Asuka Langley pointed out crisply. She didn't want to think of the numerical odds they would be facing, but she had hope too. They had the unpredictable power of their ship, as well as the strange effects culture had on the Zentradi people.

Misato looked at Breetai as she said, "I'm still not clear on why you have decided to help us. Why not cut and run?"

Exedore looked offended, but Breetai put his hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "For two reasons, Captain. First, I know that even if I run, Dolza WILL find me and kill me."

There was a beat of silence and Ritsuko asked, "And the other reason?"

"If I am to die," Breetai shrugged, "I cannot think of a better place than beside a worthy foe." He smiled faintly as he added, "And who knows, we might win."

"Heh," Misato smiled faintly, nodding.

Exedore looked around the garishly decorated hangar as he asked, "I was surprised to not see any of your musicians here. Are they not a large part of your defence?"

Ritsuko and Misato exchanged startled looks, then tried to explain to the aliens that they were just entertainers. It took some doing, and even when they were done they weren't quite sure the aliens really got it.

"Why not ask Min-Mei up?" Ritsuko suggested quietly, "She knows Ikari and I don't think she'd be a security threat."

"Sounds like a plan." Misato agreed.

It took a few minutes for Min-Mei to arrive, but soon the bubbly, black haired young woman was there in one of her pretty dresses. She was followed by her unofficial bodyguard, Miriya, who reacted with much more shock to seeing the Zentradi.

"Miriya Parina?!" Breetai cried, looking at her in surprise. He looked at Misato, "You have one of our pilots with you?"

"What?!" Misato yelped.

"Miriya?!" Min-Mei gave her a wounded look, her eyes wide.

"I..., Miriya stood up straight, "Lord Breetai, it has been a long time." She faced Misato, "Captain, I must apologize for infiltrating your ship, but I was under orders." Then she looked at Min-Mei, "Well, I started out following my orders. I..."

There was something in Miriya's eyes that eased the apparent betrayal, and Min-Mei found herself smiling back. "Well, at least you didn't kidnap me, hmm," she teased.

"If you ask, I would," Miriya offered gently.

Ritsuko puffed out a breath, then looking at Breetai she asked him dryly, "I take it you didn't know she was here?"

"No," Breetai answered, "I was surprised as you." Reflectively he added, "Admittedly the females of our species are largely segregated by order of our Masters."

"I guess that avoids sexual reproduction," Ritsuko guessed, only to get blank looks from both of them. Taking Exedore aside for a moment she tried to explain the concept to him, though it took her some time.

"That's disgusting," Exedore declared.

Ritsuko sighed, running a hand through her hair. When Misato looked at her she flatly said, "As far as I can tell the Zentradi are entirely bio-engineered. They're grown from cell scrapings and live their lives on their star ships."

Maya Ibuki looked at her wide eyed as she breathed out, "That's horrible."

"How so?" Breetai asked, clearly not seeing it.

"Long story," Misato cut that conversation off. With a sigh she mused, "At least we know how you can have such a minimal culture of your own."

Min-Mei cleared her throat gently. "Uhm, I'm still not clear on why, exactly, I'm here," she asked them politely.

"Exposure to culture confuses our race a great deal," Exedore explained, "we don't hand;e it very well." He looked at Misato, "What Breetai and I wanted to propose was using your culture as a weapon."

Misato raised her eyebrows as she said a bit dubiously, "As in...?"

"Music has the most impact we've seen," Breetai rumbled, "we want to use this Min-Mei, to launch a musical attack against Dolza's fleet."

"You must be joking," Min-Mei said weakly.

"Agreed," Misato noted as she added, "If I came up with that sorta scheme my crew would laugh their asses off."

"Lord Breetai speaks truth," Miriya noted reluctantly, "when I first heard music it... disturbed me greatly. It took time before I could grow accustomed to it and move on."

Annoyingly, Breetai was right. In a demonstration even canned music applied to a regular Zentradi left him disoriented and confused. Live music from a reluctant Min-Mei had a worse effect, leaving him almost catatonic.

"I'm impressed," Ritsuko admitted as they reviewed the data.

Exedore shook his head, "Truly, culture is a fearsome weapon."

"It is NOT a weapon," Min-Mei declared, scowling.

Miriya put her hand comfortingly on Min-Mei's arm, "In truth it's a thing of beauty. But for my people, raised without light or beauty, such things can be painful."

"Aww," Maya muttered as she stood by Ritsuko.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Min-Mei," Ritsuko told her, "we may need to ask for your assistance again in this. Would that be okay?"

"I guess so," Min-Mei agreed as she and Miriya left together, holding hands.

"Think she realizes we may need to use her as our main culture weapon?" Misato asked dryly.

"Probably not," Maya Ibuki sighed.

Asuka had a private link to Shinji as she asked, "You okay with all this?"

"What do you mean?" Shinji played dumb.

Asuka gave him a look then spelled it out, "I think Miriya has pretty much confirmed she's into Min-Mei."

"Yeah," Shinji shrugged awkwardly. "They're both my friends, oddly enough, so I think I'm okay with it." Reflectively he added, "Who knows, maybe I'll be happy for them, eventually."

"I'm rather annoyed we didn't realize she was a alien," Rei noted flatly.

A bit defensively Asuka reminded them, "Well, we DID think that they were all forty feet tall. You don't expect someone like that to sneak on the ship."

"True," Rei conceded.

The news about the Zentradi fleet allying with Earth spread through the ship, then to Earth. At first there was a certain amount of joy... then they found out about Dolza's much larger fleet coming to kill them all. That's when various levels of panic set in.

High command on Earth TRIED to control the news getting out, but it was pretty much futile. Someone in the military leaked it to a friend, another passed it on to a group of friends, and in hours the news was all over the Earth. The exact odds didn't leak, thankfully, but people got a good enough idea of the odds to freak out. Stores were cleared of essential supplies as people fled towns and headed for the hills, even as police and military tried to control riots.

On the Macross itself reaction was somewhat more muted. Yes, the odds were horrid, everyone knew that, but the ship had been surviving horrid odds for awhile now. And they were proud of their pilots and the military that had been protecting them for so long.

"We're ALLYING with these bastards?" Hikaru Horaki demanded, the pilot looking furious as the pilots in the ready room received the news.

Lynn Kyle put a hand on her arm as he said quietly, "Easy."

Hikaru shook his arm off, but she was clearly still angry. "There had better be a really good explanation," she said, frowning as Asuka and Rei sat down and started to explain.

"Holy shit," Kensuke Aida breathed out as the other pilots revealed what was going on. They and Breetai's fleet were both targets from Dolza's fleet, which was going to destroy them all if they couldn't stop them.

"There's no fucking way we can win that," a young pilot muttered, shaking his head.

"Maybe, maybe not," Asuka said. "We're going to be stripping Earth of every fighter we can and launch them off the Macross. We'll also be trying a new distraction tactic that we hope will have a debilitating effect on the enemy."

"You seriously think we have a chance in hell?" Hikaru had to ask.

"I think we have to try," Rei answered her calmly, "because if we don't, what's the point?"

There was a moment of silence as the pilots digested that, then Aida nodded. "Yeah," he agreed, "I think that's pretty much it."

Hikaru nodded too, though she didn't look pleased. "If I see the bastard who killed Toji," she said grimly, "he'd better be ready for a friendly fire incident."

To be continued...

Notes: Yes, this fic is still alive. I'm bound and determined to finish this eventually, and I'm in the home stretch I think.


	34. FINAL

Evangelion Robotech

Final

From the Journals of Hikaru Horaki

_ I still can't believe I survived, really. Ever since losing Toji I... well, wasn't SEEKING death, exactly, but I can't say I wanted to live either. My greatest wish was to avenge myself on the Zentradi, and after Dolza's fleet arrived I had plenty of chances. _

It was hard to explain the scale to people, Hikaru found. The fleet Breetai led was massive enough to strain the imagination, so how did you describe Dolza's fleet, that outnumbered it by so much? The vast, vast array of ships blotted out space, and loomed over them like some massive boulder, waiting to crush them.

The Diary of Lynn Kyle

_If you're reading this, I'm probably dead. I accepted that, knowing that when I set out on this path it could lead to my end. At least I got to see my cousin, again, and I'm glad to know she's happy. I do wish I could find the guts to tell Hikaru about how I feel about her, but... it may be too late anyway. _

Breetai's fleet was the spear head, driving into the guts of Dolza's forces, weapons blazing. The giants died valiantly to buy them time to fight, to live, and each ship's death meant their own end was more likely. The SDF-1 drove in after them, it's massive fighter escort waiting to scatter when the time was right, to do the most damage they could.

Ryoji Kaji's After Battle Report

_ I still don't know if we made the right call, holding Min-Mei back like that. We lost a hell of a lot of Breetai's fleet just breaking through the outer lines. Still, if we used her earlier, it would have messed up Breetai's people too. It was a hard call, and I'm just glad I didn't have to make it. _

"Now?" Ritsuko pressed as the ship was rocked by a massive attack. Ahead of them they saw Breetai's ships exploding and dying, the energy lighting up space.

Maya was crying even as she professionally worked her controls, doing her best to manage the chaotic data pouring in. There was so much death, so many losses...

"No," Misato growled as she held onto her seat to keep from being thrown out of it, "we only have one shot at this. We HAVE to make it count."

Gendo Ikari's Blog

_Have I mentioned today how proud I am of my son?_

Shinji Ikari sat in his Evangelion variable fighter, leading a team of complete rookies from planetside. It was very likely they were all gonna die, but he was determined they'd make the enemy pay for every like they took.

"Breetai's forces are nearly gone," Shinji radioed his team, "it's nearly time for us to go. You've been briefed on our usual tactics: go for the wounded ships and PUT THEM DOWN."

"Got it," a cocky young woman agreed as other pilots chorused behind her.

"We're fighting for our home and humanity," Shinji added, "let's give 'em hell!"

Rei Ayanami's Blog.

_Fuck last wills and testaments. If I buy it, everything I have gets split fifty fifty between Shinji and Asuka. And as a last request, could someone kick Gendo Ikari in the balls for me? Please? _

Min-Mei trembled slightly as she stood in the chamber, the armor glass ceiling providing a view of the destruction spreading out around them. "I'm scared," she admitted softly.

Miriya stepped forward, putting her hand on Min-Mei's shoulder. "As a Zentradi, we are raised to enjoy battle, but even I..." she hesitated and shrugged.

The ship rocked, and Min-Mei stumbled as the floor shifted under them. Swiftly Miriya caught her, shifting to help ease the impact. They ended up half on the floor, Miriya cradling the other woman in her arms.

"Miriya...," Min-Mei hesitated, then pressed her lips to the other woman's, lingering. Miriya went stiff, then leaned into the kiss too.

Asuka Langley's Journal. Stay out. This means you, Ikari!

_ You know, I never believed in true love and that whole bag of shit. I've seen too many people jump in the sack and end up regretting it forever. But Rei... well, really we fell in love pretty gradually. It felt natural, despite what the religious nuts might say._

_ Where was I going again? _

"They DO realize they're on film, right?" Satsuki Aoi bitched as she helped the team who were broadcasting this whole fiasco. Damn it, it should be HER down there, signing and dancing! Not some... complete newcomer!

Kaworu Nagisa watched the kiss then nodded decisively. "Right, let's pipe it out to the fleet," he ordered.

"What?" Satsuki blurted.

"Singing and male female interactions confuse the hell out of Zentradi," he gestured, "what will kissing do?"

"You are a evil, evil man," Satsuki noted.

"Yup," Kaworu agreed as they sent the kiss, live, out to Dolza's fleet.

From 'Monument City Blues' by Ritsuko Akagi, Captain. (Retired.)

_ It was arguably the most televised kiss in history. The kiss, coupled with canned music, then a live preformance, was pipped directly into Dolza's fleet using access codes provided by Breetai. Apparently the Zentradi had never encountered a situation where their own troops would turn against them, so they had no internal computer security. _

The SDF broke through the ships surrounding Dolza's mother ship, literally crashing through disorganized, confused attackers. The music, not to mention the kiss, had sown incredible confusion in the enemy ranks, but they were still dangerous, firing wildly and hitting their own ships.

As the SDF advanced, the fighters launched from where they had been waiting in the shadow of the massive fortress. Like hawks they swiftly fell on the wounded, destroying Zentradi cruisers, battleships and more, scything through the already damaged ships. Battlepods tried to engage them but they were too confused and disoriented, and simply served as more targets.

But amid the victories there were losses. Even firing wildly the Zentradi were pouring out so much firepower they had to hit something, and valiant fighters died in balls of fire. Wings reorganized on the fly, senior pilots scraping noobs and lunching attacks, knowing that there were fewer and fewer pilots available each time.

Private files of Kensuke Aida

_ I've always had a bit of a crush on Captain Katsuragi. I'd never TELL her of course. You think I'm nuts? Besides, I think she's seeing someone. But yeah... what a hottie. _

"Damn is that big," Ritsuko muttered aloud.

"Just a bigger target," Misato said. She looked at Maya, "Status of Breetai's fleet?"

"We lost most of them breaking through Dolza's outer guard," Maya reported crisply, "but Breetai himself is still out there, along with a remnant of his ships. Should I hail him?"

"No," Misato decided, "he's going to do his best to keep the rest of the fleet off of us." 'Him and the fighters,' she thought, knowing a lot f them were dead or dying as they spoke. She leaned forward, "Charge main gun."

"We'll be vulnerable while it charges," Ritsuko cautioned.

"We need it to take that thing out," Misato answered tersely, "we have to hope Breetai and the fighters can keep them off us."

Shinji Ikari's Diaries

_I have this... sense of forboding as we come into this battle. Not for me, so much, but... I don't think we've ever faced odds as long as this before. Worse, there's no way to tell how much the planetary defences will be able to do. Too much can get past us, and there's not a chance in hell of stopping it._

Asuka was a bit surprised at how little fire was coming off Dolza's flagship, really. Then again, the thing WAS carved out of what looked like a good sized asteroid. The Zentradi probably never expected anyone to be nuts enough to attack it, much less anything else.

As 'We Will Win' played on all frequencies the fighters attacked anything that moved, even as the SDF charged it's guns. Asuka switched her Evangelion between fighter and jet modes, weapons blazing as she killed cruisers and slaughtered battlepods.

"Rei, status report!" Asuka called.

"Leading Skull Team," Rei answered crisply, "I no longer know who the hell my wingman is, we've lost so many pilots."

"Same here," Asuka conceded. She saw lightning dance between the booms atop the SDF-1's robot mode and smiled grimly, "There it goes!"

The energy bolt was more like the sun being grabbed out of the sky and being thrown. The massive wave of power hit Dolza's command ship, ripping into it and tearing through layers of armor and stone. Yet shockingly nearly half of it was left intact, despite listing and leaking air.

"Fuck." Rei breathed out, "what does it take to kill that thing?"

However, the SDF appeared determined to find out. It accelerated toward the massive ship, shifted, then thrust it's 'arm,' the Deadelus aircraft carrier, right into the guts of the ship. While the pilots couldn't see it they could visualize the front of the carrier opening and a massive wave of missiles being unleashed into the heart of the attacker.

Even as Explosions began to dot the surface of the ship a voice came on over their radios, "Massive power fluctuations detected in Dolza's ship! The reactors are overloading! Full retreat! All forces retreat to a safe distance!"

Continued from 'Monument City Blues' by Ritsuko Akagi, Captain. (Retired.)

_ We lost a lot of pilots that day. A lot of friends. And I don't think the survivors were the same either. Dolza's ship either had a self destruct or a deeply flawed power system, and detonated with a almost unimaginable force. The blast killed most of the rest of Dolza's fleet, but it also crippled the SDF-1 and destroyed most of Breetai's forces too. We barely managed a controlled crash landing, and the meteor impacts from wrecked ships had catastrophic effects on the biosphere. Twenty years on, and we're still recovering. _

From 'Idles and Reflections' by Maya Ibuki-Akagi

_ I think it was possibly one of the most romantic things I've seen. The SDF was listing in a impact crater as we did our best to get the fires out, while fighters were landing out on the plain just out from the crater. Asuka made it down first, and had gotten out as she tried to get triage organized and treatment for the wounded. _

_ Skull One came down, smoking from a near miss, and she rushed over. Rei emerged and they just... fell into each others arms. It was a beautiful moment, only spoiled when they learned Shinji was among the lost._

End

Notes: This is possibly a bit more rushed than I planned, but is roughly how I intended the storyline to end. I have felt this story was dragging for awhile, so I thought I'd wrap it up. Explosively.

Thanks for reading & I hope to see you again.


End file.
